Hidden From the World
by Cami.B
Summary: The recently orphaned five year old Tohru ran away from her unhappy home and lived at a park alone. She had given up on life, but fate spares her when she met a powerful Sohma who took her in.Choosen by God himself, Tohru's life changes forever.
1. How it All Began

**Hidden From the World**

**By: .Cami.B.**

**Chapter 1:How it All Began...**

AN: I always wondered how the Fruits Basket story would go if Tohru hadn't met Shigure, Kyo, and Yuki first, but another Sohma instead. And then I thought what if she met Akito first, before any of the other Sohmas? Would her life be different? This gave me an idea for yet another story and here it is! "Hidden From the World" is my second story so far and my second Fruits Basket fanfic as well. So I apologize ahead of time if you find errors. Anyways, I hope you'll find this story enjoyable and if you have the time, please review! Thank you! Oh yeah, **this is NOT the sequel to my first story, "Bind by Destiny, Tortured by Fate". Sorry. **SPOILER By the way, I know that Akito is a girl, but in this story, I decided to make Akito a guy. (Just to let you know.)

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of its lovable characters.

* * *

Since before I can remember, no one from either side of my parents' families really liked me. They say that I was an "unlucky child". My grandparents, who refuse to claim me as their grandchild, wanted my mother to abort me, but she refused to. As a result, my family only consisted of my father, my mother, and me. However, it didn't bother me at all. I had everything that I've ever wanted and more. I had a great home, a loving father that loved to spoil me, and a mother who dedicated her life to caring for me. So you can say that I was more than satisfied with my life. I was really happy and being a so-called "unlucky child" never bothered me much. At least, until _that _incident happened.

* * *

**Flashback.**

_"Mommy, Daddy, look!" I yelled excitedly._

_My parents looked over at the ice-cream shop that I was pointing to. They both smiled at me._

_"Does my little girl want some ice-cream?" my father asked cheerfully._

_I nodded. He smiled and picked me up._

_"Ok then, lets go get you some ice-cream," he said._

_I wrapped my little arms around his neck and smiled. "Yeah!" I yelled happily._

_My mother smiled at me. "Lets all go then," she suggested._

_I smiled. Soon, we were all at the corner of the block waiting for the light to change. The ice-cream shop was just across the street so we decided to walk there. Anyways, when the signal to walk came up, we started across the street. The streets were quiet and calm. Not a signal car was in sight. I looked up and smiled at my father who was humming my favorite song. I hummed along with him._

_"Kyoko, I think our daughter is going to be a star one day," my father joked to my mother._

_My mother chuckled lightly as my father placed me on his shoulders. My mother looked up at me and smiled. I returned a smile of my own. We were now in the middle of the quiet street and we were all walking along humming my favorite song when a loud honking noise sounded the air. We looked to our right to find a red car speeding toward us. My parents tried to run out of the way, but the car had reached us before we were able to react to it. The car only hit my parents because my father had thrown me out of the way just in time to save my life. Before I knew it, I was sitting in the middle of the street beside the two lifeless corpses of my beloved parents, drenched in their blood. I cried and tugged on their shirts, but neither of them woke up._

_"Mommy? Daddy?" I called sadly tugging at their shirts._

_They didn't answer me._

_"Mommy, Daddy, wake up," I said, "You promised to get me ice-cream. Remember?" _

_Once again, they didn't answer me. Streams of tears flowed down my rosy pink cheeks._

_"Daddy?" I looked over at my father's bloody corpse, "We didn't finish my favorite song yet. Lets finish it."_

_I started to hum again as I waited for my father to start humming again. He didn't. I was scared now because I didn't understand what was going on. Why weren't they answering me? I held one of each of my parents' hands between my two little hands and cried._

_"Mommy, Daddy please wake up. I'm scared," I sobbed, "Please…"_

_Once again, neither of them answered me. As I sobbed a crowd gathered around me. They were all pointing and chattering. I looked up at them with my teary eyes. They ignored me. No one came to assist me. I sat still until I heard sirens. My parents' corpses and I were taken to a near by hospital shortly afterward._

**End of Flashback.

* * *

**

I didn't know what exactly happened that day until later…much later. I was orphaned after my parents' tragic deaths. And as expected, everyone refused to take in the "unlucky child".

* * *

**Flashback.**

I sat in my grandparents' living room as everyone from my grandparents to my cousins stared at me evilly. They scared me…these so-called relatives of mine scared me.

_"Father, I will not take that…that unlucky child in," said one of my uncles on my father's side._

_"Neither will I," added my aunt._

_"Well, don't expect me to then. I can't take her in, I have school," said my other uncle._

_My grandmother examined everyone in the room and shook her head once she saw me. I too examined the room but only to find my relatives glares. I was afraid so I looked downward. My grandmother got up and walked to the other side of the room and everyone's eyes followed her._

_"I don't want the child that murdered my son living in my house," my grandmother said coldly._

_My grandfather came to my side and lightly patted my head. I looked at him surprised._

_"Its ok," he tried to comfort me._

_I started to become teary eyed. He wiped my tears away with his two thumbs._

_"Don't cry sweetheart," he said sadly._

_"What are you doing?" yelled my grandmother angrily._

_"She is just a child and you are all scaring her," my grandfather said._

_"I don't care. Have you forgotten Katsuya died because of that…that unlucky little pest?" she asked angrily._

_"Katsuya and Kyoko's deaths were not her fault," my grandfather argued._

_"Katsuya died because he traded his life for hers," my grandmother argued backed._

_"You can't blame her for what is obviously an accident!" my grandfather yelled._

_"It's because she's unlucky that the police are still not able to find the car that hit Katsuya," my grandmother said._

_My grandfather ignored her. He focused his attention on me. He patted my head again and smiled at me. I forced a smile._

_"Its ok, you can live with me," he said._

_"NO SHE CAN'T LIVE IN THIS HOUSE WITH ME!" yelled my grandmother._

_"Then you move," my grandfather said coldly as he glared at my grandmother._

_Angry, my grandmother stormed out of the room. Everyone blamed me for this and too left. Eventually, only my grandfather and I were left in the room._

**End of Flashback.

* * *

**

I ended up living with my grandfather in his house. I never knew why he allowed me to live with him, because I never dared to ask. My grandmother never returned to the house that day. Shortly afterward, she returned to retrieve her belongings. Then…she left. My grandmother continued to refuse to live in the same house as me so I ended up causing relationship problems between my grandparents. I felt really bad about it, but at the age of five, I couldn't do anything about it. Anyways, I lived with my grandfather for the next week or so. As days pasted by, my grandfather grew more and more ill. I didn't know how and I didn't have the ability to care for him so, as predicted, it got worse.

* * *

**Flashback.**

My grandfather's ill and weak body laid weakly on his bed. I sat at his bedside to keep him company.

_"Grandfather," I said, "Are you sick because of me?"_

_"No, of course not," he assured me._

_"But grandmother said that I was unlucky," I explained._

_He smiled and patted me on my head. "No, you're not," he told me firmly._

_I forced a smile to comfort him._

_"I regret very much about ruining the relationship between Katsuya and I before. And now, I will never be able to apologize to him. Your parents loved you very much and now, all I can do for them is to make sure that you are cared for," he explained._

_"Grandfather, I'm sorry," I apologized._

_"For what dear?" he asked confusedly._

_"For making grandmother leave. I know it's my fault," I told him._

_"No, it's not. Don't you worry, she'll be back soon," he assured me._

_Grandfather began to cough violently. I decided to not add to his worries. I gave him a smile._

_"Ok grandfather," I said as I got up, "I'll go get you some water."_

_He nodded. I exited the room and headed to the kitchen. On the way, I passed by the entrance way and to my surprise, I found grandmother there. She was removing her coat. _

_"Good afternoon, Grandmother," I greeted her._

_"Just because my idiotic husband accepted you, doesn't mean I'll accept you. Where is he?" she replied coldly._

_"Grandfather is inside," I told her pointing toward his room._

_She gave me an annoyed stare and headed to his room. I went to the kitchen and retrieved a cup and a pitcher of water. Afterward, I returned to the room to find grandfather asleep and grandmother at his bedside._

_"Grandmother how is grandfather?" I asked nervously as I set the pitcher and cup on a near by table._

_She glared at me and grabbed my arm. She pulled me out into the hallway and closed the door behind her. "This is all your fault!" she said suddenly._

_I was frightened by her sudden outbursts. "I'm sorry," I apologize._

_"You don't belong here. If I were you, I'll do everyone a favor and leave!" she suggested coldly and disappeared into the room._

**End of Flashback.

* * *

**

My grandmother's words were harsh, but they were definitely true. Grandfather was very healthy before I started living with him. I was in fact an unlucky child. His sudden illness was probably caused by my unluckiness. My grandmother's words helped me realize this and by realizing this, I did something that changed my life forever…

* * *

**Flashback.**

_Grandmother stayed that day to care for Grandfather. The next afternoon, while Grandmother fed Grandfather I sat outside on the steps. Grandmother's words continuously replayed themselves in my head. I couldn't stop thinking about it. _

_"Maybe Grandmother is right. If I leave, Grandfather might feel better," I thought to myself._

_Finally, after thinking for a long time, I decided to run away. I walked out of the front gates and onto the sidewalk. I then walked along the busy street. Eventually, I became lost. I came to a park where there were a lot of kids. I smiled and went over to play with them. As the day went by, one by one they left. Then, finally, I was alone again. There was a tube and I hid in there. Soon the sky was dark and it started to rain. I sat in that tube with my legs bent in front of me and my arm tucked under them as I shivered. I only had a short-sleeved, knee length white dress on and some white sandals. The rain water got into the tube and soon my dress and sandals were stained brown._

"_I wonder is grandfather looking for me," I thought to myself._

_Eventually, somehow, someway, I fell asleep._

**End of Flashback.

* * *

**

No one found me that day. I ended up having to care for myself for the next several days. I lived on food that was given to me by the kids that visited the park daily. At night, I slept in the tube. I really thought that I wasn't going to make it then, but I guess fate decided to spare me.

* * *

**Flashback.**

_The bright sun woke me up. I squinted at the bright light coming into the tube. The rain had stopped. I exited the tube and examined the park. It was very cold, like always. The park was deserted and quiet. I straightened my dirty dress and walked around the park. Then, I saw an old man that looked like my grandfather._

_"Grandfather!" I called after the old man._

_The old man didn't hear me. I decided to run after him. Eventually, I chased him all the way out of the park and into the streets. The sidewalks were filled with people and the old man disappeared into the crowd. I continued to run aimlessly in between people. Then, I met him._

_"OW!" someone yelled loudly._

_I had bumped into someone and fell to the ground. I focused my eyes and saw the boy that I had bumped into. He was young, just like I was, but he seemed a few years older. He had a black turtle neck shirt with black shorts and white tennis shoes on. He had black hair with black/violet eyes. He glared at me. Frightened, I stood up and walked over to him. I bowed. (Father always said that you should be polite to people.)_

_"I…I'm sorry," I apologized._

_He examined me with an awkward expression on his face and suddenly, he pushed me away. I fell to the ground again. "Get away from me you filthy girl," he said disgusted by me._

_Tears came to my eyes. I looked up at him, "I'm…I'm sorry."_

_"Shut up, don't talk to me. You're not worthy," he said coldly._

_I looked down as small streams of tears ran down my pink cheeks. Suddenly, a woman in a kimono appeared in front of me. She wiped my tears away and smiled at me._

_"Sorry, please excuse my young master. He tends to have mood swings," she explained as she helped me up._

_"No, its my fault…everything is my fault," I said sadly. _

_"What do you mean by that?" she asked._

_"My mommy and daddy went away to a far away place because of me and grandfather said that they'll never come back," I began as tears came to my eyes again, "And now, grandfather is very sick. Grandmother said that the only way he'll feel better is if I left so I ran away."_

_"Oh, I see. How long has it been since you ran away?" she asked concernedly._

_"A long time ago," I answered._

_"Where does you grandparents live?" she asked._

_"I don't know," I answered._

_The woman thought for a moment. She must be trying to figure out how she was going to help me. Before she was able to figure it out, the boy stepped forward. He examined me._

_"You're a really ugly girl," he said._

_I looked downward embarrassed._

_"I guess it doesn't matter," he added and turned to the lady, "Take her back to the mansion with us. She'll live with me from now on."_

_I looked up surprised. "But I…I can't," I said._

_The boy looked at me uninterested in why I shouldn't. He smirked. "You should be grateful that I'm allowing a filthy girl like you to live with me," he said._

_"Thank you, but Daddy always said that I shouldn't talk to strangers and now you're telling me to live---" I said before I was interrupted._

_The boy grabbed my arm and dragged me along with him. "I said you'll live with me, don't make me repeat myself again," he said annoyed._

_Shocked, I followed him helplessly. "Um, I'm…Tohru Honda," I decided to introduce myself as I struggled to keep up with him._

_He didn't look at me. "That's a stupid name," he paused and hesitated, "I'm Akito Sohma."_

_"Nice to meet you, Akito-san," I said cheerfully._

_He didn't reply. Instead, he pulled me into a car. _

**End of Flashback.

* * *

**

Since that afternoon, I've been living with Akito-san. He took care of me and provided for me. In return, I served him. I was only five then and now I'm seventeen. I've been living with Akito-san at his estate for the past ten years or so. Over the years, I learned a lot about Akito-san, but the one thing that surprised me the most was his family's secret. Akito-san suddenly told me one day, after my seventh birthday, about his family's curse and since then he has kept me close to him. He moved me to the room right across from his and he forbid me to see any of the juunishis. And this is where it all began…when I was chosen to serve God…


	2. God and I

**Hidden From the World**

**By: .Cami.B.**

**Chapter 2: God and I…**

AN: Thank you all so much! I received so many reviews and I'm so happy. -jumps from excitement- hehe. I was honestly expecting a review that read "You suck. Stop writing." (Or something to that extent) But to my surprise, everyone's reviews were praising how well the first chapter was. -cries tears of joy- I'm so happy. Anyways, thanks again everyone! Whelps, here's chapter 2 and I hope that you all will find it just as enjoyable! Please review! Thank you!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of its lovable characters!

* * *

I woke to the birds chirping just outside of my window. I pushed the sheets that covered my body off and sat up on my bed. After a short stretch, I stood up and walked over to the two slide doors on the other side of the room. I pushed the two doors open to reveal the beautiful and peaceful garden on the other side. (The doors led to an outdoor patio that over looked a garden.) I took in a deep breath of fresh air and turned around. I walked over the table with my new kimono and a huge bowl of water beside it. After I freshened up, I slipped on the kimono that was left there for me by Tomoe (most likely). I tied my long brown hair to the side with a matching ribbon.

* * *

**Flashback.**

_Akito-san took me back to his estate that afternoon. When the car stopped he pulled me out of the car and into the estate. I was amazed by the size of the estate and its pretty gardens._

_"Akito-san, your home is very pretty," I said as he jerked me away from some flowers in the garden and into the mansion._

_"Shut up," he said coldly._

_Sadden by his cold words I looked downward as I followed him into a foreign room. He let go of my arm and turned around. He stood in front of me now. I looked up at him. He glared at me in annoyance. There was a long and awkward silence before the lady from before came into the room. She smiled at me and I smiled back. She came over to me and kneeled down beside me._

_"This is your new home now. I am Tomoe and I'll be serving you from now on so if you need anything, just let me know ok?" she explained._

_I nodded and smiled. Then she caught a glimpse of Akito-san._

_"And I believe you've already met my young master Akito Sohma-san. Am I correct?" she added._

_I nodded and answered, "Yes."_

_"Good. Oh, little Tohru-san how old are you dear?" she asked suddenly._

_"Five," I answered._

_"Oh! That's great, young master Akito-san is only a two years older. He's---" Tomoe said before she was interrupted._

_"Shut up and get out," Akito-san said coldly._

_"Oh, yes young master," Tomoe replied. She bowed and exited the room closing the slide door behind her._

_After Tomoe left, I turned my attention back to the young boy that I've just met and am going to live with for the rest of my life. He was glaring at me again. I was frightened. _

_"Are you scared?" he asked suddenly._

_I hesitated. "Um… I—" I paused and then continued, "Yes."_

_Akito-san didn't reply. He merely smirked. He walked over to a table with a pretty pink kimono neatly folded on top of it. Akito-san grabbed it and threw it toward me. I caught it with both of my hands. _

_"Change into it," he said plainly._

_I looked at the pretty kimono in my arms and then back up at him. I have never worn a kimono before. Akito-san seemed to have caught onto this and called in Tomoe. _

_"Clean that filthy girl up," he ordered and exited the room._

_After Tomoe bathed me, she taught me how to wear a kimono properly. She straightened my sleeves and then sat back to examine me. _

_"Perfect," she said, "Little Tohru, from now on, you'll have to get use to wearing kimonos like this one because young master prefers people to be dressed this way."_

_I nodded and replied, "Ok."_

_Tomoe smiled at me and picked up my dirty white dress. A few moments later, Akito-san came in. He examined me and seemed to be satisfied with what he saw. However, when he saw my dress in Tomoe's arms, a disgusted expression took over his face._

_"Get rid of that filthy dress. It's making me sick from just looking at it," he said._

_"Yes young master," Tomoe replied. She got up and headed to the door._

_"Please don't!" I yelled after her suddenly._

_Akito-san looked at me and so did Tomoe._

_"Daddy gave me that dress for my birthday last year," I continued._

_"Oh, I see," Tomoe said, "Young master?"_

_Tomoe seems to be waiting for an order on what to do from Akito-san. He looked at my pleading self and then at Tomoe._

_"Burn it," he said ignoring what I told him._

_I ran over to Akito-san and grabbed onto his arm. "Please don't, Akito-san," I begged._

_He ignored me and nodded to Tomoe who left with the dress. Afterward, Akito-san jerked his arm out of my grip causing my entire body to fall onto the ground. Tears came to my eyes at the thought of losing the last thing that Daddy had given to me._

_"Don't touch me ever again! You're not worthy," Akito-san said firmly as he exited the room._

_I cried and my tears dripped from my face onto my pretty pink kimono._

**End of Flashback.

* * *

**

Akito-san never really liked it when I wore things other then kimonos so for the past ten years or so, it was all I wore. And because it was all I wore, I've grown to expect to see a new kimono on my table every morning. Akito-san was kind enough to have different ones made for me, so everyday, there would be a new one waiting for me when I wake up. I never wore the same kimono twice.

I stepped out onto the patio after I slipped on a pair of sandals. The sky was clear and a cool breeze hugged my body.

I still remember the first time I wore something else other than a kimono. It made Akito-san very angry… so angry that I discovered his other side. His more violent side…

* * *

**Flashback.**

_It was my eighth birthday and Tomoe came into my room to surprise me. She brought a present with her. I pulled off the ribbon and opened the box. Inside the box there was a white dress that resembled the one that Akito-san had burned three years ago. I grabbed it and held it against my body. _

_"It's very pretty. Thank you so much Tomoe," I thanked her._

_She smiled and said, "You're welcome little Tohru. Happy birthday!"_

_"Can I try it on?" I asked her hopefully._

_She hesitated. "But if young master were to see you in it, he'll be very mad," she told me._

_Disappointed, I folded the dress and set it back into the box. Tomoe noticed my disappointment._

_"But no one would know if you and I keep it a secret," she added._

_I smiled. She grabbed the dress and helped me change into it. I loved it. I twirled around in my room in it. Tomoe got up and danced around the room with me. Then it happened. Akito-san entered the room to find me in my new white dress dancing around with Tomoe. We both stopped once we saw Akito-san._

_"Young master, I can explain," Tomoe began._

_Tomoe paused once Akito-san shot her an evil glare. He came over and stood in front of me. _

_"Its not Tomoe's fault Akito-san. I was the one that wanted to wear---" I said before I was stopped by a pain on my right cheek._

_That was it. Akito had slapped me for the very first time. I held my right cheek in my right hand sadly. He then turned around to face Tomoe who was surprised by what had happened._

_"Get out, I'll deal with you later," Akito said angrily._

_I could tell that Tomoe didn't want to leave, but it was an order and she didn't dare to disobey Akito-san. So, she exited the room. Akito-san turned back around and looked at me angrily._

_"I'm…I'm sorry," I apologized frightened._

_Akito-san slapped me again. Tears began to build in my eyes. _

_"You should be thankful to have everything that I've given you," he said angrily._

_"I am very gratefully Akito-san," I replied._

_"Lies! If you are so grateful then why do you want to make me angry?" he asked._

_"I'm very sorry Akito-san," I apologized as I began to cry._

_He looked at me with an annoyed expression on his face. _

_"Stop crying! I hate it when people cry! Stop it!" he yelled suddenly._

_I immediately wiped away my tears with my sleeves. _

_"Get out of that disgusting dress before I decide to never forgive you," he said in annoyance and exited the room._

**End of Flashback.

* * *

**

I stepped off of the patio and onto the stone path that led into the garden. I began to walk along the path until I came to a bridge that reached over a pond filled with koi. I stopped in the middle of the bridge and watched the koi below me swim.

It was from that day on that Akito-san became more and more violent with me. Every time when I would make him angry he would hit me. However, I never hated him because I'm in debt to him for all of the things that he has given me. I owe him so much…

Anyways, as the years pasted by, I understood Akito-san more and more. I learned what he liked and disliked. I am now capable to read most of his expressions and tell what he's thinking about. Just the same, he grew to understand me. Over the years, we've grown to become somewhat attached to each other. Akito-san didn't allow me to see anyone except Tomoe, as a result, I was dependent on Akito for company. He too was dependent on me for the same thing, but I didn't understand why. He had his juunishis but he still seemed lonely. I had asked once, but I only angered him…

* * *

**Flashback.**

_It has been seven years since my eighth birthday and I am now fifteen years old. I was enjoying lunch with Akito-san like always and there was a long and awkward silence between us. I decided to start a conversation._

_"Akito-san," I began, "Why don't you eat meals with the juunishis?"_

_He ignored me. I frowned a little and decided to try again._

_"Do you not like them?" I asked curiously._

_Once again he didn't reply. He only looked at me. I waited and waited, but there was no answer. Then Akito-san set his bowl down onto the table._

_"Akito-san, are you lonely?" I asked._

_That was the question that angered Akito-san. After he heard my last question, he swung his arm and knocked all of the food and dishes into the air. The dishes broke and scattered across the floor. The broken glass bounced off of the floor and a few pieces cut my face. I immediately cupped my right cheek where I felt the sting with my right hand. Akito-san looked at me with an angry expression on his face. _

_"I'm sorry for making you angry Akito-san," I said as blood from my cuts flowed through the gaps between my fingers._

_Akito-san sighed and he seemed calmer now. He grabbed a cloth on the table and handed it to me. I looked at it confusedly not knowing why he had handed it to me._

_"It's for your cut you stupid idiot," he said in annoyance._

_Suddenly realizing what it was for I took it from him. Akito-san sighed again._

_"You are such a stupid girl," he said bluntly._

_Embarrassed, I looked downward. Akito-san stood up suddenly and looked down at me. I looked up at him. Without saying a word, he exited the room. Tomoe came in afterward to clean up and attend my wound._

**End of Flashback.

* * *

**

Tomoe once asked me if I was intending to leave the Sohma estate and without hesitating, I said no. She wondered why and I told her that I owed Akito-san too much. She said that I was foolish. To many, Akito-san might seem cruel, but for some odd reason, my instincts tell me that there is another side to him. I guess being with Akito-san for so long helped me see him is ways that no one else can.

"Good morning," I greeted the koi fish in the pond and smiled.

I watched them swim around for a minute or so until I heard a familiar voice.

"Miss Tohru," it called.

I looked over to my right and saw Tomoe standing on the patio. I walked over to her.

"Good morning Tomoe-san," I greeted her and smiled.

"Good morning Miss Tohru," she replied and smiled as well.

"Are you here to tell me something?" I asked.

Suddenly remembering why she had come, she answered, "Yes, Master Akito isn't feeling very well and he wants to see you."

"Thank you," I replied and without hesitating I went to see Akito-san.

And off I went to see the person that gave me all I have today… the person that took in the unwanted "unlucky child"…the person that chose me…the person that have influenced my life is such a dramatic way… Off I went to see the "almighty" God…


	3. The Dragon and the Dog

**Hidden From the World**

**By: .Cami.B.**

**Chapter 3: The Dragon…**

AN: Hello everyone! Once again, I would like to thank you all for the fabulous reviews! Loved them, thank you! Anyways, a couple of people asked me if Tohru is going to meet any of the juunishis. The answer to that question is yes, but that's all I can tell you. (I don't want to ruin the story for you, so yup.) Anyways, here's chapter 3. Hope you'll like it. Please review, thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Baskets or any of its adorable characters.

* * *

After receiving Tomoe's message, I immediate headed over to see Akito-san. Tomoe had other things to do, so I ended up going over to Akito-san's room by myself. I stood outside for a second and then lightly knocked on the slide door. 

"Who is it?" I heard Akito-san ask almost angrily.

"Akito-san, you called for me?" I replied.

Suddenly, the door before me slid to the left to reveal a tall man with black hair that covered his left eye on the other side. He looked like a doctor. He looked so familiar, but I can't quite remember where I've seen him before. Anyways, I caught a glimpse of Akito-san sitting on the ground by a table. He glared at me in annoyance. For quite awhile we exchanged awkward stares.

"COME OVER HERE YOU IDIOT!" Akito-san yelled suddenly irritated.

I ran over to him immediately. I sat with my legs neatly tucked under me and straighten out my kimono. Akito-san was beside me. The tall man closed the slide door and walked over to the other side of the table. I lightly bowed to be respectful. He returned this with a light bow of his own and a faint smile. I then looked at Akito-san, whose attention was completely on the tall man before us.

"You can go now. I don't need you anymore," Akito-san said to the tall man.

"No," the tall man replied plainly.

Akito-san didn't seem surprised. Instead of becoming furious, like I expected, he pushed against the table and stood up.

"You have to rest and I won't leave until you do," the tall man added.

Akito-san ignored him. He turned around and walked toward his bed. Right before he reached it, he turned the upper portion of his body around and shot an annoyed look at the tall man.

"I hate you Hatori," Akito-san said coldly.

"So his name is Hatori. Where have I heard that name before? It sounds so familiar," I thought to myself.

* * *

**Flashback.**

_I had just returned from my typical everyday walk around the garden one afternoon and I had a few hours before lunch time. I decided to make lunch for Akito-san and me that day. I left my room and went to the kitchen. I returned later with our lunches in my hands. However, right when I reach Akito-san's room, I heard a loud scream. I peaked into the room through a thin opening between the slide doors. _

_There was a black haired man on the ground and a woman in tears on her knees beside him. The man was bleeding and there was a small puddle of blood that surrounded his head. Akito-san was overlooking the two and he was angry. His yukata was stained by the man's blood. _

_"Hatori, are you alright?" the woman sobbed._

_The man whose name was Hatori didn't reply. He must have fainted. Akito-san walked over to the sobbing woman and pulled her off of the ground by her hair. _

_"Akito-san, please…don't hurt Hatori anymore," she begged in tears._

_"This," he said and looked over to the bleeding man, "Is all your fault. You've caused this. You can only blame yourself. He defied my wishes because of you and now he's going to be punished."_

_"No…Hatori…I'm sorry…" she sobbed._

_Immediately, Akito-san threw her body against the table in the middle of the room. She was now injured, but even so, she crawled over to the unconscious Hatori. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. Akito-san looked at them with a disgusted expression on his face. The woman then slightly brushed the hair that cover the left side of his bloody face off. I was shocked by what I saw. The man's left eye was severely scratched and it was where all of the blood was coming from. I backed away from the doors. Frightened, I retreated back into my room across the hall. _

**End of Flashback.

* * *

**

I remember now. He was the man whose left eye was injured that day. Akito-san was the one who blinded his left eye. His name is Hatori. I remember now.

Suddenly, I couldn't stop staring at Hatori-san. Akito-san obviously noticed.

"This is Hatori Sohma, he's the dragon," Akito-san introduced suddenly.

I jumped at Akito-san's introduction. Immediately, not knowing how to react since this was the first time I've met a juunishi, I stood up and bowed.

"Um…Nice to meet you…Um, Hatori-san," I said nervously, "I'm…I'm Tohru Honda."

Hatori-san bowed slightly. "Yes, its very nice to meet you Honda-san. I am Akito's doctor and the Sohma family's as well," he told me.

"Oh! You're a doctor? That's amazing!" I said cheerfully for I have never met a doctor before.

Akito-san sighed in annoyance. He sat down onto his bed.

"Only stupid people get excited over stupid things," he commented as he lay down onto his side.

Embarrassed, I immediately hushed. I sat down again and was silent.

"Akito, didn't mean that Honda-san," Hatori-san tried to comfort me.

"No, it's alright," I replied almost sadly.

Akito-san must have gestured for Hatori-san to leave because almost instantly, he left. Now, only Akito-san and I were in the room. I was still staring down at the table in front of me sadly. There was a long silence between us. Suddenly, Akito-san sat up and glared at me.

"Are you angry?" I asked frightened.

"Humph, I have no time to be angry at you," Akito-san said uninterestedly, "I'm thirsty."

I immediately retrieved the teapot on the table and poured him a cup of tea. Then, I stood up and walked over to him. I handed him the cup of tea. He looked at it and then at me.

"I'm not thirsty anymore. I'm hungry," he said.

I forced a smile. "Ok, I'll go make you something immediately. What would you like to eat Akito-san?" I asked as cheerfully as possible.

"I don't care," he answered simply.

"Ok then, I'll see what I can come up with," I said as I set the cup of tea on the table.

I straightened my kimono and bowed as I exited the room.

So Hatori-san is the dragon and the family doctor. How wonderful! I've never met any of the juunishis before. I had imagined what they all looked before. I always thought that they were people with certain "animal characteristics". I use to think that the dragon had scales for skin, but I guess I'm really stupid for thinking like that. The juunishis (or at least the one I've met) look so normal, just like everyone else. I wonder how it feels to be a juunishi, must be lonely. Maybe, like Akito-san, they're all lonely.

Anyways, I decided to make onigiri. After I was finished, I head back to Akito-san's room. I turned and started down the hall. From a far distance, I saw another tall black haired man enter Akito-san's room. I immediately walked over to the doors and knocked slightly. With consent from Akito-san, I opened the door and stepped into the room. I closed the door behind me and walked over to the table. I set the onigiri on the table and looked at the tall black haired man in the grey robe. We stared at each other for a long time before I decided to bow and smile. He returned my smile with a smile of his own.

"Did you make those?" he asked joyously.

"Yes...um…" I replied not knowing whether Akito-san would mind if I offered him some.

I looked at him. He gave me an annoyed expression and his consent. I smiled and offered the man some. He took a bite and smiled.

"These are delicious...Miss---" he paused.

I smiled cheerfully. "I'm Tohru Honda, nice to meet you," I said and bowed again.

"Yes, it's nice in deed. You're such a beautiful young woman Tohru---" he hesitated, "Can I call you Tohru-chan?"

"Oh, of course. Whatever is more convenient for you is fine with me…um…" I suddenly realized that I didn't know his name.

"Shigure Sohma, but you can call me Shii-chan," he said cheerfully.

"Ok, it's nice to meet you Shii-chan," I replied.

"She's beautiful, nice, and makes delicious food. I think I'm in love," Shii-chan joked.

I blushed. Akito-san noticed and became angry.

"Shut up you stupid perverted fool," Akito-san said angrily.

Shii-chan didn't seem to care whether he made Akito-san mad or not. He took another onigiri and popped it into his mouth seeming to ignore Akito-san.

"Tohru-chan is a beautiful young woman. Can you blame a man for being attracted to such a perfect woman?" he said joking (I hope).

Akito-san was angry, but I don't know why. He got up off his bed.

"Don't talk about her that way, you idiot," he said annoyed.

Shii-chan suddenly sat in front of me and pushed his face toward mine. Our faces were barely half an inch apart. If either of use moved even a slight bit, our lips would've touched. I was shocked and was shivering a bit. Shii-chan smiled as he examined my face.

"I would marry you if I could," he said joking (once again, I hope).

Paralyzed by shock, I didn't know what to say. But suddenly, I felt a tight grip around my upper right arm. It was Akito-san. He jerked my entire body off of the ground and away from Shii-chan. He had an angry/annoyed expression on his face. He pulled me and sat me on his bed. He then turned to Shii-chan who doesn't seem to know what he's doing.

"Get away from her," Akito-san said in annoyance, "She belongs to me."

Shii-chan smirked. "Tohru-chan, are you _his?_" Shii-chan asked.

"Um…" I pondered for an answer to this bizarre question.

"No matter, as long as you're not married to him, you still can choose me," he said.

Shii-chan got up and walked over to me. He then held my right hand in between his two hands.

"So, my beautiful Tohru-chan, would you marry me?" Shii-chan asked jokingly.

My eyes widened. Akito-san immediately came over and stood between Shii-chan and me. He shot an evil look at Shii-chan. He (Shii-chan) immediately backed away and sighed.

"Don't touch her, you filthy pervert," Akito-san said.

"You know, Akito, you shouldn't be greedy keeping beautiful Tohru-chan to yourself like that," Shii-chan said half joking.

Akito-san rolled his eyes and lay down beside me on his bed. (I was sitting on one side of the bed.)

"I know you didn't come here to bug me with your annoying self," Akito-san said, "What do you want?"

Shii-chan let out a light chuckle and smiled. "Why the cold words my dearest Akito-sama? Can't an old friend come visit every once in awhile?" he asked.

"Humph, save it Shigure, get to the point," Akito-san replied impatiently.

Shii-chan sighed. "Fine, but---"he paused and looked at me.

Akito-san looked over at me and then back at Shii-chan. He gave him a little nod and Shii-chan smiled.

"So she knows? How bizarre, I've never expected my little Akito-sama to trust anyone, especially not with the family secret," Shii-chan commented.

I still remember when Akito-san first told me about the family secret. I was shocked. To this date, I still haven't figured out why he chose to tell me.

* * *

**Flashback.**

_I still remember clearly what had happened that day. It was the day after my seventh birthday. We were enjoying our breakfasts together and the whole time Akito-san's attention was on the birds chirping outside. I watched him as he observed the birds outside. Then suddenly, his attention returned to me._

_"Are you familiar with the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac?" he asked suddenly._

_"Yes, Mommy once told me the story. God invited the animals to a banquet, but the rat tricked the cat, so he---" I said before I was hushed by Akito-san._

_"The cat is a worthless monster," he said._

_"Huh?" I replied confused._

_"And the rest of them are all idiots," he added._

_"Akito-san, have you met them? Are they cute?" I asked curiously without thinking._

_He glared at me. "What a stupid question," he said._

_"I'm sorry," I apologized sadly. "You talk about them like you've met them before and I've never seen them, so I---"_

_Akito-san smirked and I hushed. "I own them. They belong to me," he said, "They all live for me."_

_I grew curious. "What do you mean?" I asked._

**End of Flashback.

* * *

**

Afterward, Akito-san told me little things about the curse, but he didn't tell me much. I asked Tomoe about it and she explained it in detail to me. It was from her that I found out that Akito-san was _God_.

"I've done as you wished and kept Kyo at my house," Shii-chan said.

Akito-san smirked and turned his body to his side and faced me.

"Akito, why do you want to keep Kyo with me?" Shii-chan asked curiously.

Akito-san ignored his question and closed his eyes. I watched the two of them nervously. Shii-chan sighed once again and folded his arms in front of his chest.

"Now my dear Akito-sama, why must you torture me this way?" he hesitated, "Fine, if you must be so heartless toward me, I guess my visit today will end here."

Shii-chan then turned and headed to the door. Akito-san didn't say a word or budged. I think he's asleep. Suddenly, Shii-chan slipped and my first instinct was to run over to catch him. I ran over and we both fell to the ground together. A loud poof and lots of smoke filled the air. Shocked after the smoke dissolved, I stare into the eyes of a strange yet familiar black dog.

"Um…Shii-chan?" I said with a shaky voice.

"Yes, unfortunately, it's me my beautiful Tohru-chan. It pains me so to have you see me like this, really," the dog said.

"Ah!" I gasped, frightened by the talking animal.

I examined the dog before me and smiled. "It's so adorable!" I yelled and hugged the talking dog forgetting that it was Shii-chan.

"Oh yes, it's a fantasy come true! I'm being caressed by my beautiful Tohru-chan," it said.

Suddenly realizing that the adorable creature before me was Shii-chan, I instantly released it. Embarrassed, I pulled my body backward.

"Oh, I'm…I'm so sorry Shii-chan. I forgot that it was you and---" I was interrupted by another loud poof.

When the smoke faded, Shii-chan stood in front of me. I immediately turned my body around.

"What's wrong?" Shii-chan asked.

With my hands over my eyes, I answered nervously, "Shii-chan, you're…you're…naked."

"Oh, I suppose I am. Oops," he said cheerfully.

"Put your clothes on and get out of my room you stupid pervert," I heard Akito-san say suddenly.

I removed my hands from my eyes and looked forward. Akito-san was still lying on his bed on his side and he was looking at me.

"Akito-san, I thought you were asleep," I said.

He rolled his eyes at me. "You expect me to sleep through this?" he replied.

"Ok, there we go. All dressed, I'll be going now. Goodbye my beautiful Tohru-chan," I heard Shii-chan say from behind.

Thinking that it was now safe to look, I turned around to say goodbye. However, Shii-chan was still more than half naked. Immediately, I turned back around. Frightened, I was silent. Shii-chan laughed.

"Ha-ha. I was just kidding my dear Tohru-chan," Shii-chan said while laughing.

"Um…"I pondered for words.

Akito-san glared at Shii-chan. "Get out, you fool," he said coldly.

"Very well. Goodbye my beloved Tohru-chan," he said.

Without turning around, I bowed and bid him farewell. I heard the slide door open and close. I gave out a sigh of relief. Then I caught a glimpse of Akito-san's annoyed facial expression. I looked up and over to him.

"You're such an idiot," he commented.

"Yes, I guess I am," I replied guilty of being an idiot.

Akito-san frowned a little. "I'm tired. Leave, I don't need you anymore," he said as he closed his eyes.

I looked at the plate of onigiri on the table for a few seconds.

"I really wanted Akito-san to try those," I thought to myself disappointed.

"I'll eat those later. Go get some rest or something," Akito-san said suddenly as if he was able to read my mind.

With a cheerful smile on my face I bowed and exited the room.

So Hatori-san is the dragon of the zodiac and Shii-chan is the dog. How wonderful! I've had two juunishi encounters in just a half of a day! Hatori-san is cool and quiet while Shii-chan is outspoken and energetic. They're really opposites. I am so happy; I've finally met two of the twelve juunishis. They must be very interesting people. I wonder if I'll ever get to meet the other ten animals. And if I'll ever get to meet the cat that Akito-san calls a "monster" all the time. I wonder how he/she is like. To be honest, I wonder how everyone is like…Hm…

* * *

AN: For those of you who are wondering if Akito calls for Tohru for no particular reason often. The answer is yes. He tends to summon her all the time just when he feels like seeing her face or hearing her voice. Most of the time, he would tell Tohru to come to him and the two would just sit together in silence until he tells her to leave. Its weird, but Akito still has problems opening up to her. Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review! 


	4. My Beloved God

**Hidden From the World**

**By: .Cami.B.**

**Chapter 4: My Beloved God…**

AN: Hello everyone! I absolutely love you guys! You're all so nice and great! Thank you so much for all of the awesome reviews! hugs you all Hehe… Oh yeah, if you find my flashbacks confusing, please let me know. ) Ok, here's Chapter 4. Enjoy and please review if you have time!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of its adorable characters!

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"Um…Akito-san, where are we going?" I asked nervously.

Akito-san ignored me. He rested his head against the car's door and looked at the many objects that pasted by outside. Tomoe turned and examined us. She was sitting in the passenger seat in front while Akito-san and I were in the backseat. Tomoe smiled at me and I smiled back.

"Miss Tohru, if you're tired, why don't you rest a bit?" she asked.

"No, I'm fine, but thank you Tomoe-san," I replied cheerfully.

"Very well then," she said and returned her body to how it was originally positioned in the front seat.

I looked at Akito-san who was still looking out the window.

It's been about three days since my last two encounters with Shii-chan and Hatori-san. Since then, I've met another juunishi. Yes, another one! I'm not really sure how it all started exactly, because everything happened so quickly…

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**Flashback.**

_It's been two days since I met Shii-chan and Hatori-san. Akito-san wasn't in a good mood today, so I decided to accompany him in his room. He is on his patio and was watching a pair of white birds perched on a branch near by. He hasn't said a word to me since I got here, but I've already grown use to his constant silence. _

_"Akito-san," I called._

_He turned his head slightly and I saw half of his face. However, he didn't say anything._

_"Are you feeling well?" I asked concernedly._

_He didn't answer me. Instead, he turned his head back to the way it was before. There was a long silence between us afterward, but this silence was soon broken by Akito-san's coughing. Worried, I pour a cup of tea and brought it over to him. I handed it to him. He only looked at me._

_Without taking the cup of tea, he finally said, "Why don't you hate me like everyone else does?"_

_I smiled. "I can never hate you," I answered._

_"Why?" he asked, "Is it because you think you owe it to me?"_

_Shocked by his question, I was silent. My silence angered Akito-san. He swung his arm and knocked the cup of hot tea out of my hands. The tea spilled all over my kimono. It also burned my hands. Trying not to burst into tears, I bit my lower lip. _

_"Get out," he said coldly, "I don't want to see you."_

_Sad, I slowly stood up and headed toward the door, but before I exited, I stopped by the door and turned around. Akito-san's attention was still on the birds outside. Disappointed, I looked downward._

_"I'm sorry fro making you angry, Akito-san," I apologized and exited the room._

_I returned to my room across the hall. I burst into tears. However, I cried because I felt rejected by Akito-san, not because the burn hurt. _

_"Am I really being nice to Akito-san only because I think that I owed it to him for everything?" I asked myself. _

_I had thought that the answer was yes, but for some unexplainable reason, my heart is telling me, "no". Why? _

_Anyways, before I could gather up my thoughts, my room door slid open to reveal Akito-san on the other side. He looked at me. Immediately, I started to wipe away my tears with the sleeves of my kimono. Suddenly, I felt a tight grip around my arms that stopped me. I slowly lowered my arm and saw Akito-san sitting in front of me. He let go. I stared at him with my puffy, red eyes. An annoyed expression overcame his face. _

"_Why are you crying?" he asked annoyed._

"_I…don't…know," I said in between breaths._

_Akito-san smirked. Suddenly, I leaned forward and rested my head on Akito-san right shoulder and tears of joy came to my eyes again. I was relieved to know that Akito-san hasn't really rejected me; he cared, he still cared. Akito-san didn't push me away like I had expected him to. Instead, I felt his gentle strokes through my long brown hair. I smiled. _

"_Only idiots cry for no reason," he said._

_I chuckled a bit and lifted my head. I smiled. "I guess I'm an idiot then," I said cheerfully as tears slowly rolls down my pink face._

"_Only you would admit to being an idiot, you stupid girl," Akito-san replied._

_Akito-san looked at my puffy, reddish-purple hands on my lap. He reached for them, but I jerked them away. I turned my head to avoid eye contact fearing that he'll see the pain in through my eyes. Suddenly, Akito-san stood up and headed for the door. He opened the door and disappeared as it closed behind him._

**End of Flashback.**

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I was somewhat disappointed when Akito-san left, but I was use to his cold personality and attitude toward people (especially me). Akito-san never wants to say more than what's needed. Neither does he like to go out of his way for anyone or anything. That's why I was so shocked by his sudden declaration this morning...

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**Flashback.**

_It's the day after the little tea incident and once again, Akito-san summoned me early in the morning. I quickly got dressed and tied my hair into a bun. I crossed the hall and lightly knocked on the door. After receiving consent from Akito-san, I entered the room. My eyes widened a bit when I saw a man with long white hair and a woman in a maid outfit in the room. I examined the room as I stepped in. Almost immediately, the two people ran over to me. They began to measure me, which felt very awkward for me._

_"Um…Akito-san, what's happening?" I asked frightened._

_He looked over at me and smirked._

_"You are very pretty," the woman said to me._

_The man with the long white hair took a couple of steps backward and examined me. Embarrassed, I blushed. The man lightly flicked his hair with his hand and smiled._

_"Yes, a girl as beautiful as she is, is quite rare," the man said._

_I caught a glimpse of Akito-san's smirk just before he took a sip of tea. After a sudden jerk, my attention returned to the two strangers tugging and pulling my body this way and that way. _

_"Mine, what do you think will look best on her?" the man asked._

_The woman thought for a moment and then answered simply, "White."_

_As if he had just realized something, the man replied, "Yes, for innocence and purity. Perfect."_

_Then the two moved away from me and pulled out a pretty white fabric and a lot of tools. They began to cut and shape the fabric. Still frozen by shock, I stood where I was. Akito-san gave me a "come over here" look and immediately, I walked over to him. After a polite bow, I sat down beside him._

_"Um…Akito-san," I said nervously._

_He turned his head and looked at me._

_"What's going on?" I asked._

_"We're going out," he said plainly._

_My eyes widened. "Out? Where?" I asked._

_"I'm taking you on a trip," he answered._

_I smiled. Suddenly filled with excitement, I began to ask a chain of questions. "Oh, where are we going? How are we going to get there---" I paused and smiled at Akito-san. _

_A confused expression overcame his face. _

_"Actually, it doesn't matter, I know it'll be fun, where ever we go," I said with a smile._

_"How would you know that?" he asked._

_"Simple, as long as I am with Akito-san, I'm happy," I said._

_"Idiot," he said plainly and took another sip of tea._

_Knowing that he didn't really mean it, I smiled. _

_"Voila, our masterpiece is done!" the white haired man announced suddenly._

_Akito-san and I both looked up at the same time. The white haired man was holding a beautiful white sleeveless spaghetti strapped dress. I examined it in astonishment while the woman in the maid outfit pulled out a pair of white cover toe heels. _

_"And with these, the outfit would be complete," she told us._

_"Oh Mine, you're brilliant. I absolutely love you," the white haired man said._

_The woman chuckled lightly. "I'm honored to be loved by you, Ayaa-san," she said half joking._

_"Of course, you should be. Being loved by a person as charming as me is a rare privilege you know," he replied._

_Suddenly, I felt a loose grip around my right arm. The woman grabbed me and pulled me off of the ground._

_"Let's get you dressed," she said._

_"Huh? What?" I managed to say just before she pulled me out of the room. _

_I returned later dressed in the dress that the man and the woman had made. Part of my hair was neatly tied back and held there by a white hair bow. I was wearing the white spaghetti strap dress with a semi see-through silk scarf wrapped around my shoulders and upper arms. On my feet was the pair of white cover toe heels. I slowly walked into Akito-san's room. Akito-san was talking to the white haired man when we entered. They both turned around. The white haired man held his chin in between his index finger and his thumb. He seemed to be thinking. Akito-san looked at me in a way that I've never seen before. I was nervous. I blushed. _

_The white haired man came over to me and circled once around me. "Oh, it's a man's fantasy come true," he said._

_"Isn't she gorgeous?" the woman beside me asked._

_"Yes, we did it again, Mine! We've realized yet another man's fantasy," the white haired man said._

_The two's eyes sparkled almost as they looked at each other with there fingers intertwined on either sides of their faces. Confused, I watched them. Suddenly, the white hair man slid over back to Akito-san's side and flicked his hair again._

_"You should be pleased, Akito. I believe I've successful turned your fantasy into reality. Ok, you can thank me now," the man said with one hand over his chest and his long red coat bending and flapping in the breeze from the patio. _

_Akito-san didn't reply. _

_"No 'thank you'? What is the world coming to? Mine, help me, I think I'm sick," the man said with exaggeration._

_"Oh Ayaa-san, you're so silly," the woman replied._

_"After all I've done, after all of the work I put into her…No, and I can't believe that I was just treated so rudely. Humph," the man said with his arms folded in front of his chest._

_Confused, I looked at Akito-san for an explanation. He didn't give me one. He walked up to me. He looked at me for a second or two. Then, he surprised me with a kiss on my forehead. I blushed. _

_"Ah, young love. I love my work," the man said suddenly in admiration seeming to have forgotten that he was mad at Akito-san._

_Akito-san ignored him. Suddenly, someone pulled me away. It was the white haired man. He pulled me by my hand and led me out the door._

_"Come, let's get you ready," he said._

_"But um…please wait," I struggled as he pulled me out of the room._

_He pulled me into my room where he let go. I couldn't help but stare at him. He noticed._

_"Yes, stare all you wish, I understand it's not everyday when you can see someone as lovely as me. Don't you agree Mine?" he turned his head slightly._

_"Yes, whatever you say boss," the woman said as she came in with a luggage bag in hand._

_"Um…" I began, "Excuse me, but I don't think we've properly met yet."_

_"Oh yes, we haven't. Pardon me for my stupid mistakes," the white haired man said and stepped forward._

_He took my right hand in his and lightly bent down to kiss it. I blushed. He then bowed. _

_"My name is Ayame Sohma and this is my assistant Mine," he introduced himself and the woman to me._

_The woman bowed. I bowed as well._

_"It's a pleasure to meet you both, Ayame-san…Mine-san. I'm Tohru Honda," I replied politely._

_"Yes, it must be very pleasurable to meet someone as charming and wonderful as I am," Ayame-san said as he laughed._

_"Oh Ayaa-san, stop it. You're scaring her," Mine-san said half joking, "Now, let's help you pack. What should we pack Ayaa-san?"_

_"Hm, I'll leave the packing to you Mine. I'm going to talk to Honda-san outside for a little bit," Ayame-san said as he pulled me out onto the patio._

_Ayame-san closed the slide doors that led to the patio. I watched him cluelessly. He began to braid his long white hair. _

_"So, I've heard that you've been living here with Akito for quite awhile now, correct?" he asked._

_"Oh, um yes. Akito-san saved me," I told him._

_His eyes suddenly lit up with curiosity. "Really?" he replied._

_"Yes. He took me in when I was only five years old after…well, after I ran away from home," I told him sadly._

_Ayame-san lightly rubbed his chin with his two fingers. "I see. So Akito saved you by taking you in under his 'wing'," he said as if it was somehow amusing, "He's almost as noble as I, the great Ayame Sohma, am."_

_"Excuse me Ayame-san, but are you…" I said before I was interrupted._

_"Am I one of the juunishis? Shii-chan told me about a beautiful outsider that knew of the curse. You must be her. The answer to your question is yes, I am. In fact I am the most wonderful of them all. I am Ayame Sohma, the royalty of the juunishis, the king of the cursed, the man of fantastical desires, the animal of love and passion, the---"Ayame-san was interrupted. _

_"He's the snake of the zodiac that lacks everything but self-esteem," a voice said behind me._

_I turned around. It was Akito-san. He glared at Ayame-san in annoyance. This hushed Ayame-san. Akito-san then turned and headed back into the room._

_"Come with me," he said simply. _

**End of Flashback.**

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Afterward, Akito-san led me to a car parked outside and we've been driving until now. Akito-san never told me where we were going or why we're going there; he just said that we're going to go on a trip. The whole car ride to where ever we're going to was quiet and boring. I eventually grew tired and fell asleep against the car's door. However, my sleep wasn't all that pleasant for the bumpy road continuously caused my head to bang against the door. It was very uncomfortable. I was struggling to get comfortable.

"Idiot," I heard Akito-san say.

I looked at him. He was looking at me for a second and then he turned away. Eventually I fell asleep…

I woke up about an hour later. To my surprise, I was lying down on the seat and my head rested comfortably on Akito-san's lap. My arms were neatly bent in front of me and my hands were in front of my face, also on his lap. Over my body were Akito-san's coat and his right hand held onto the coat, resting on my shoulder. I looked upward. Akito-san was still awake. He was still staring at the objects outside. He didn't notice that I was awake. I smiled at him. Then, the car stopped. I immediately closed my eyes and pretended like I was still asleep. I felt a warm hand brush against my face. Then I heard the car doors open.

"Master Akito, should I wake Miss Tohru?" I heard Tomoe ask softly.

"No, just get the luggage," Akito-san answered.

"Yes, Master Akito," Tomoe replied.

I felt Akito-san move from under me and out of the car. Then I felt two arms reach under me and carried me out of the car. The person that picked me up took my arms and wrapped it around their neck. Akito-san's coat was still over my body. I peaked at the person that was carrying me. It was Akito-san. He was carrying me toward a hotel, I think. I decided to continue to pretend to be asleep. I tightened my embrace around Akito-san and rested my head against his chest comfortably. Akito-san suddenly stopped walking.

"Idiot," he said and began to walk again.

Akito-san eventually set me down onto a bed. Someone (most likely Tomoe) removed my shoes as Akito-san began to leave. I peeked at him for a second. Suddenly a breeze entered the room. I sneezed. Then, I heard footsteps coming toward me.

"Get her changed," Akito-san said near by.

"Yes, Master Akito," I heard Tomoe from a distance reply.

Soon, I heard the door close. Once it did, I immediately sat up. I scared Tomoe.

"AH! Oh, Miss Tohru. I thought you were asleep," she said.

"I was, but I'm awake now," I told her.

Tomoe smiled. "That's good. It would be a lot easier to change if you're awake," she said.

I smiled as she handed me a robe to wear to sleep. I changed into it.

"Tomoe-san, where are we?" I asked her.

"Oh, we're at a hotel near our destination. We should get there early tomorrow morning," she explained.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"You'll see," she said simply, "If you need anything, I'm right next door."

Tomoe left before I could ask her any more questions. I looked out my open windows at the setting sun. I sighed and tucked myself into bed. I closed my eyes as the breezes from outside flowed into the room. I sneezed again. Then I heard the door open. I decided not to look, assuming that Tomoe probably forgot something. That person closed the door and walked toward me. They sat on the bed beside me. I was somewhat surprised. I accidentally sneezed again.

"Idiot," I heard Akito-san's voice say.

Akito-san got off of the bed. I peeked as he walked over to the windows. He closed them and then turned and came back toward me. But I closed my eyes right before he was able to see me. He came over to the empty side of the bed. He pulled the sheets out of the way and lay down beside me. I was frightened a little because I didn't understand what was going on. Then he stuck one of his arms under my body and the other over it. Before I knew it, I was tightly held in Akito-san's warm embrace. He pulled my body close to his where it was warm. He then pulled the sheets over both of our bodies up to my shoulder (and to his chest). I felt Akito-san's gentle strokes through my hair as he guided my head onto his chest.

"How did a person like me end up with a person like you? You stupid…foolish girl," Akito-san said.

Soon, I fell asleep in his arms and against his warm body.

Akito-san has never held me before expect for the occasional hand grabbing. So when he embraced me tightly this evening, I was shocked. I didn't understand why he did…but I definitely understood why I allowed him to. I wanted to be held by him…I wanted his care…I wanted his…I wanted his love. I think…I think somehow, some way I've slowly fallen in love with…with…Akito-san. Can it really be that I'm in love with Akito-san? Can it really be or am I just having hallucinations? Am I really _in love_?

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AN: I know Tohru's feelings for Akito might have seemed as if it came completely out of the blue, but understand that they've been living together for over a decade. They practically grew up together. Plus, Akito came to Tohru's rescue right when she needed someone the most. When the "unlucky child" was rejected by everyone, he accepted her. So her love for him developed along time ago, but she never realized it because all along she mixed up love with appreciation/gratitude. I hope it's not too confusing. By the way, sorry about the long wait for this chapter. I was working on my other story so yeah. Sorry! Whelps, tell me what you think about this chapter whether you thought it was good or if you thought it sucked. Thanks!


	5. Akitosan's Surprise!

**Hidden From the World**

**By: .Cami.B.**

**Chapter 5: Akito-san's Surprise!**

AN: A nice reviewer (N. James) kindly pointed out that I have yet to explain how Tohru received her education. I have already replied to the review, but just in case anyone else is wondering, I'll tell you all together right now. Akito gets really ant-sy when Tohru is with other people. It's kind of like an obsession type of thing that makes him want Tohru close by his side at ALL times. As a result, Tohru never attended school. She merely learned what Tomoe taught her. Akito, however, has his own private team of tutors. Hope this clarifies things for you all! Anyways, here's chapter 5. Please review if you have the time! Thanks.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of its lovable characters!

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I squinted at the bright sunlight that came in through the open windows. I sat up only half awake. I pushed the sheets off of my body and looked beside me. Akito-san wasn't there.

"Was I dreaming last night?" I asked myself out loud.

"Were you dreaming about what Miss Tohru?" a voice asked suddenly.

I looked up and saw Tomoe with my clothes for the day.

"Oh, it's nothing… Um, Tomoe-san," I replied hesitantly.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Was Akito-san here last night?" I asked nervously.

"Of course he was, silly. He stayed in the room across the hall. Why?" Tomoe answered.

"Oh, never mind then," I said softly.

Disappointed, I decided that what I thought had happened the evening before was just a dream. Tomoe handed me a pretty pink dress.

"What's this Tomoe-san?" I asked confused because it wasn't a kimono like I had expected.

"Oh, Master Akito-san said that you are to wear this today instead of a kimono. Master Akito-san told Mister Ayame-san to make it for you. Do you like it?" she explained.

I took the dress into my hands and examined it. It was a short sleeved pink silk dress accented with elegant lace trimmings and a silk ribbon bow at the collar completed the whole dress. It was beautiful. It looked even better than the white dress I wore yesterday. I smiled and looked up at Tomoe.

"It's beautiful. I have to thank Akito-san later," I told her cheerfully.

"Yes, you must, but first, lets get you ready to go," Tomoe said and pulled me over to a table near by.

"To go where?" I asked confusedly.

"Master Akito-san said it's a surprise," Tomoe answered.

I sighed and let Tomoe dress me up for whatever is waiting for me today. Tomoe tied my hair to the side with a matching silk ribbon and then I putted on a pair of pink cover toe heels similar to the white ones that I wore yesterday. Afterward, Tomoe and I headed over to see Akito-san. I lightly tapped the slide door.

"Come in," I heard Akito-san say on the other side.

I walked in.

"Good morn---" I jerked my body around and quickly tried to exit the room.

Akito-san was changing and he was practically naked! Embarrassed, I headed for the door expecting to bump into Tomoe, but instead, I ran into the door. (Tomoe left.) Dizzy, I fell to the ground on my knees with my back facing the naked Akito-san. I was having trouble shifting the blurry colors in front of me back into objects when I felt a tight grip around my upper right arm. Akito-san turned my body around and kneeled down in front of me. I stared at the blurry figure before me.

"You idiot, what's wrong with you!" Akito-san said almost angrily.

"Um…I…You're…" I struggled to say as the figure in front of me began to take shape.

I paused until I could clearly make out Akito-san's figure. His yukata was belted very loosely. (He must have putted it on roughly because he saw what happened to me.) The collar of his yukata comfortably clung to his two shoulders, revealing his bare chest and abs. I looked at him and blushed. Embarrassed, I turned around and tried to run again. For the second time, I ran into the door. I fell backward and landed on Akito-san's lap. I struggled to focus my eyes again at the blurry facing looking down at me. Akito-san seemed amused, but also annoyed.

"You idiot, why do you keep running away?" he asked.

"Um…I…was embarrassed because I came in and you were still changing, so I---I'm sorry," I apologized.

Akito-san chuckled lightly and pushed my body to an upright position. He then stood up. He walked to the spot that he was originally and began to pull off his yukata. He removed the yukata off of his upper body revealing his entire back to me. My eyes widened and I blushed. Nervous and embarrassed, I turned around but before I ran into the door for the third time, Akito-san stopped me.

"Don't run into the door again, you idiot," Akito-san said from behind me while laughing lightly.

I've only seen Akito-san laugh once before. Akito-san doesn't express much more than anger and annoyance since the first time we met each other. But once when I was younger, I saw Akito-san laugh for the first time. It made me happy to see Akito-san smile. It made me feel as if I had a purpose in life…

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**Flashback.**

_Tomoe took the young nine year-old me and the recently eleven year old Akito-san out to the garden today. I was excited, but Akito-san seemed very annoyed by the trip. We came to a pond filled with multicolored fish. Amazed, I ran to the edge of the pond and kneeled down. I smiled as the fish swam to me. _

_"Akito-san, look at all of the pretty koi fish," I called over to Akito-san. _

_He turned his head and ignored me. Disappointed, I turned my attention back to the fish. There was a crowd of them in front of me now. I folded up my right sleeve and reached for one of the fish. Then, I accidentally slipped and fell into the pond. I sat in the pond as all of the fish swam to me. They're bodies brushed against my arms and neck. It tickled. I giggled. Tomoe tried to get me out, but I said that I didn't want to go. Akito-san then came over and glared at me. _

_"Akito-san, my mommy once said that koi fish brings their owner good luck. With all of these fish, you must be really lucky," I said cheerfully._

_"You filthy, disgusting girl, don't you dare come back in to my house after you come---" Akito-san yelled before he too fell into the pond. _

_Akito-san was struggling to get out as the fish began to crowd around him. I laughed at the funny site. _

_"They like you Akito-san," I said while laughing._

_"AH! Get away from me you filthy fish!" he yelled frantically._

_I puffed up my cheeks and made a fish face. "Look Akito-san, I'm a fish," I said. _

_He looked at me with a confused expression. "What are you doing, you idiot?" he asked._

_"I'm pretending to be a fish," I answered and walked around in the pond and pretended to be swimming._

_"Why would you do something so stupid like that?" he asked confused._

_"Well, just because its fun," I told him cheerfully._

_"How can being an idiot be fun?" he asked._

_"I think even you, Akito-san, would think its fun if you tried," I said._

_"I refuse to do something so stupid," he replied._

_"Mommy once told me that the best thing about life is being able to have fun. She said that people who are too serious lose a lot in life. Akito-san, you should have fun more," I suggested._

_"Pretending to be a stupid fish in a filthy pond is not fun! It's stupid!" he replied as he headed for the edge of the pond._

_Akito-san exited the pond, but I didn't. I continued to walk around the pond pretending to be a fish. The fish made a chain and followed me around the pond. I laughed. I was still walking when I heard someone else's laughter. It was Tomoe's, but instead, it was Akito-san's. He watched me from the shore. He was smiling and laughing for the first time since we met._

_"You look so stupid," he said while laughing._

_I smiled back and continued walking around. _

**End of Flashback.**

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And my purpose in life is to make Akito-san happy. It's to bring happiness and joy to his life because he's all I have now. I want to make him happy no matter what it took. Even pretending to be a fish in a pond, even though I probably looked like a complete idiot during that moment…I wanted him to be happy, because when he's happy, I'm happy.

The car we were riding in stopped in front of a two story house located somewhere in the country side. I exited the car right behind Akito-san. Confused, I examined the house. Akito-san grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the house. I was silent. We reached the front door of the house. Tomoe rang the door bell. First, I heard loud thumping noises and then I heard a man's voice. The door opened to reveal an old bald man on the inside. He squint his eyes at us examining us.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Um, yes actually, we're looking for---" Tomoe began before I interrupted her.

"Grandfather?" I called to the familiar old man before me.

The old mad took out a pair of glasses and putted them on. After a couple of seconds, he finally spoke again.

"Tohru-chan, little Tohru-chan, is that you?" he asked.

Tears came to my eyes. I ran up to my grandfather and embraced him tightly as I cried. He laughed.

"Oh, Kyoko and Katsuya's little girl is all grown up," he said and pulled us apart, "Please, come in. All of you."

We entered the house and Grandfather led us to the living room. I sat down on the couch in between Akito-san and Grandfather.

"I missed you so much, Grandfather," I told him teary eyed.

"Yes, yes, but where did you go that day? I woke up and your grandmother said that you were gone," he told me.

"Well, I…" I didn't know how to tell him that I ran away.

"My master, Sohma Akito-san and I found Miss Tohru in the streets wandering alone twelve years ago and she's been living with us since," Tomoe explained.

"Oh? Is that so?" he returned his attention to me, "Tohru-chan, why were you in the streets?"

"I…I…" still unsure about how I was going to tell him, I hesitated.

"She ran away from you because she'd rather live in the streets than with that wife of yours, you stupid fool. Can it be any more obvious?" Akito-san interrupted annoyed.

"Oh, is this true Tohru-chan?" Grandfather asked me.

"Um…I…" I still couldn't answer him.

"Unfortunately Mister Honda-san, it is true," Tomoe answered for me.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Tohru-chan. You must have had to go through a lot," he said sadly, "I tried, but I just couldn't find you anywhere."

I shook my head and I also shook off my tears. I smiled. "No, please don't be sorry Grandfather. It's not your fault. I was the one who ran away," I replied.

Grandfather just looked away.

"Please, Grandfather, don't be sorry. I'm doing great now and Akito-san is taking good care of me," I said.

He looked at me and then at Akito-san beside me. He smiled. "Tohru-chan, this is?" he asked.

"Oh! Grandfather, this is Sohma Akito-san. He's the one that took me in. I owe him a lot," I said cheerfully.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you Mister Sohma Akito-san. Thank you very much for taking care of our little Tohru-chan for so long," Grandfather said to Akito-san.

Akito-san only smirked. Grandfather smiled as if he didn't notice Akito-san's rudeness. Then, an old woman came into the room. She looked at us.

"Good morning Grandmother," I greeted her.

She examined me. "Humph, don't call me 'Grandmother' you irresponsible little murderer," she said.

Sadden, I looked downward.

"She still hates me," I mumbled to myself sadly.

Akito-san stood up with his hands in his pockets and walked over to Grandmother.

"Humph, so you're that old hag that calls her the 'unlucky child'," Akito-san said.

"What did you say! You're so rude!" Grandmother yelled angrily.

"And I suppose you think you're being very polite," Akito-san said coldly.

"Why you---" Grandmother began.

I ran over and stood in between them. "Grandmother, Akito-san didn't mean it. Please, don't be mad," I begged her.

She glared at me and then at Akito-san. "I don't want to see you. Get out of my house," she declared.

"Now is that necessary?" interrupted my grandfather suddenly.

"You knew from the start that I don't want that…that unlucky murderer anywhere near me. Why did you let her in?" Grandmother asked angrily.

"Because she's _our _grandchild no matter what and its time you accept this fact. You told me that Tohru ran away on her own for no reason, but I bet you said something to her. Didn't you!" Grandfather said loudly.

"No! I didn't! Don't blame her irresponsibility on me," Grandmother argued back.

"Yes, Grandfather, Grandmother had nothing to do with it," I assured my grandfather.

"This is all your fault, you unlucky murderer! All you do is cause problems!" Grandmother yelled.

Before I knew it, Grandmother slapped me hard on my right cheek. I held my right cheek in my right hand as tears came to my eyes.

"I'm so sorry for causing you so much trouble, Grandmother," I apologized, guilty for causing so much sadness.

"Get out!" Grandmother yelled.

She lifted her hand and was going to slap me again. I knew this, but I stood still. If it was the only way to make things better between Grandmother and me, I was willing to accept it. However, Grandmother didn't slap me. I looked up to see Grandmother's hand stopped in mid air by Akito-san's grip.

"If you touch my bride again with your filthy hands, you'll regret it, _you old hag_," Akito-san threatened.

I was speechless. Akito-san jerked my body behind him with his other hand and trapped me there. Then he released Grandmother's arm. She glared at me. Akito-san ignored her and turned around to face me. He pulled my hand off of my face and examined it.

"I see, so this is why you two are here," Grandfather said cheerfully.

We both turned around.

"Mister Honda, my master would like to marry your granddaughter with your permission," Tomoe explained.

"I see, but if you don't mind me asking Mister Sohma Akito-san. Why did you decided to come here today? You could have married Tohru-chan without our consent, so why have you decided to visit us today?" Grandfather asked.

"This is how she would want it. This stupid girl would want you to be at her wedding no matter what," Akito-san answered.

"Tohru-chan, is that what you would like? Do you want to marry Mister Sohma Akito-san?" he asked me.

"I…I…" I didn't know what to say, "This is all so sudden. I…I don't know."

Annoyed, Akito-san grabbed my hand. "I will marry this idiot whether either of you likes it or not. Your consent doesn't matter to me," Akito-san exclaimed.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure that it doesn't, and yet you came here today. You must really care about Tohru-chan, Mister Sohma Akito-san," Grandfather replied.

Akito-san seemed annoyed by how Grandfather 'read' his him. "I don't care about anyone. No one is worthy enough…No one matters to me," Akito-san said coldly as he released my hand.

"Ah, I see. Then you may not marry Tohru-chan. Also, she will no longer live with you. She'll stay here with me," Grandfather replied.

My eyes widened. Akito-san walked over to Grandfather and suddenly jerked his body forward while gripping onto his collar. Akito-san was angry…very angry. I ran over to him and grabbed his other arm, but he pushed me away. Tomoe caught me right before I fell. Grandfather didn't react to Akito-san's violent force.

"Let him take her! Take her! We don't want her! Take that little unlucky tramp!" Grandmother suddenly interrupted.

Akito-san released Grandfather and placed his hands in either of his pockets. He smirked evilly and turned to face Grandmother. "If you disrespect her again, I will personally send your pitiful self to burn in hell, you _old worthless hag._"

Grandmother's eyes widened from anger and surprise. She was going to have a heart attack if I didn't calm her down, so I went to her. I bowed and apologized. She ignored me and stormed out of the room. I turned to Akito-san and looked at him with my teary eyes.

"Akito-san," I called.

He looked down at me. I was holding onto his arms with both of my hands tightly.

"Please stop. I don't want to make anyone mad. Not even you, Akito-san, so please don't be mad at Grandfather and Grandmother. I'm sorry," I said as tears flowed down my pink cheeks.

He didn't reply to me. He turned his head from me to Grandfather. "I'm taking her with---" Akito-san said before Grandfather interrupted.

"You have my consent. Mister Sohma Akito-san, you may marry my granddaughter under one condition," Grandfather interrupted with a smile.

"Hm?" Akito-san replied confused by his smile.

"If Tohru-chan truly wants to marry you, then you two may be wedded. And to show my support, I will be at the wedding," Grandfather added.

"Of course this idiot wants to marry me. It's her honor to. Do you know who she'll be married to? Do you know who I am?" Akito-san replied.

"I'm sure you're a powerful person, Mister Sohma Akito-san, but you can not speak for her. And even if she does, like you say she does, I want to hear it from her," Grandfather replied, "Tohru-chan, do you want to marry Mister Sohma Akito-san?"

Everyone's attention was on me now and it made me nervous. Instantly, I questioned myself. Did I want to marry this man that has saved and provided for me? I loved him right? But do I really? Am I ready to spend the rest of my life with this person? And last night…

"Was it a dream?" I accidentally mumbled out loud.

"What did you say Tohru-chan?" asked Grandfather.

"Huh?" I replied not realizing that I had said that out loud.

Suddenly Akito-san pulled my body to his. He embraced me tightly like he did last night. He held me against his warm body and I rested my head on his chest.

"Of course it wasn't you idiot," Akito-san said softly.

I closed my eyes and smiled as the last couple droplets of my tears made their way onto Akito-san's shirt.

"So Tohru-chan, do you want to marry Mister Sohma Akito-san?" Grandfather's voice sounded the quiet room suddenly.

Akito-san embrace loosened and I turned my head to look at Grandfather. Then I looked up at Akito-san, whose arms were still loosely wrapped around me.

Do I want to marry this man before me or do I want to live here with Grandfather and make up for all of the misery I've caused him? I was silent as I pondered for the correct answer. I stood still in Akito-san's arms as my heart and brain began to debate…Is my heat right or should I listen to my brain?

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AN: Sorry for leaving you guys with a cliffie. The chapter was getting too long, so I decided to end it here so you guys can think about it. Will she say yes? And if she says no, will Akito still want her to live with him? Hehe… And you can think about this too: Why did Akito suddenly decide to marry Tohru? Whelps, that should keep you busy for awhile. If you think you know, leave a review and I'll tell you if you're right.


	6. The Familiar Stranger

**Hidden From the World**

**By: .Cami.B.**

**Chapter 6: The Familiar Stranger**

AN: Well everyone, here's the chapter (can't say all but…) most of you have been waiting for, Tohru's decision! Oh, two more juunishis are introduced in this chapter, who are they? Read and find out! Please review!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fruits Baskets, or any of its adorable characters!

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**Flashback.**

_My parents and I were wrapping presents for my grandparents in the living room one evening about two weeks before Christmas when I was five. Mommy wrapped the presents, Daddy labeled them, and I was in charge of putting bows/ labels on them._

_"Mommy…Daddy, why do we keep giving Grandfather and Grandmother presents when Grandmother always yell at us?" I asked curiously._

_"Because, Tohru, when neither side tries to fix things, things will never change and it might stay that way forever. No matter what, they are your Daddy's parents and your grandparents. One day, Tohru, I know they will accept you and until then, this is all we can do," Mommy answered._

_"But Grandmother threw our presents last year, out of the window and told us not to get her gifts anymore," I reminded her, "And she said that if we did again, she'll burn them."_

_"Tohru, sweetheart, promise us that if we're both not here one day, you'll take care of your grandparents no matter what, for us," Daddy said._

_I smiled. "Ok, I promise!" I replied cheerfully and returned to my bows and labels. _

**End of Flashback.**

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"Yes…I promised my parents that I'll take care of them," I thought to myself.

I pushed Akito-san's body away from mine slowly and looked up at his confused expression.

"Thank you for everything Akito-san. The past 12 years or so have been really great. If it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't even be here today telling you this, but I'm sorry…Akito-san, I can't marry you," I told him.

Akito-san didn't show it, but after all of these years, I developed a way to sense Akito-san's anger. At the moment, I felt a really strong anger building up in him. He grabbed my right upper arm and pulled me to him. We stared at each in the eyes for a couple of seconds.

"Do you think I brought you here so you could stay here? You _will _marry me," Akito-san said demandingly.

I pulled his hands off of my arms and backed away.

"I promised my parents that I will take care of my grandparents when they were gone. I want to keep this promise," I told him.

His anger slowly turned into annoyance.

"You idiot, you actually think that they'll accept you if you stayed here? Don't be retarded you naive girl!" Akito-san replied.

"No, I don't expect them to, but its just…I promised and this is the last thing that I can do for my parents…the last chance to fix things between Grandmother and me…The---" I said just before I felt a tight grip around my arm.

Akito-san lifted my entire body and threw me over his shoulder. He began toward the front door.

"But…Akito-san…Please, wait!" I begged frantically.

"Shut up," he said coldly, "You _will _marry me and become my wife. You will live at the Sohma estate for the rest of your life and serve me until the end."

"But---" I managed to say before Akito-san interrupted me.

"Shut up before you'll regret it," Akito-san interrupted, "I'm giving you a life of luxury and prosperity. Be grateful that I chose a stupid idiot like you."

I didn't say anything. Akito-san set me down in the car and then entered afterward. Tomoe entered in front and the driver started the car. I rolled down the car window and stuck my head out. Grandfather was at his front steps waving goodbye.

"Grandfather!" I yelled loudly and sadly.

"Don't worry, little Tohru-chan, I'll be at your wedding! You'll make a beautiful bride!" Grandfather said cheerfully as he waved, "Be sure to send your Grandmother and me an invitation!"

Surprised by my Grandfather's sudden approval, I merely replied with an, "Ok!"

I returned my body to the position that it had took in the car seat before beside Akito-san. He looked at me for a second and then returned his attention to the things outside. We drove all the way home in silence.

I'm pretty sure that during that moment, neither of us knew what to say. But of course, there's always the chance that Akito-san just didn't want to say anything to me. Even so, I know that no matter what either of us said, it was settled…I will be married to Akito-san and I will live with him for the rest of life at the Sohma estate. I have broken my promise to my parents…Would they be mad now? But, I'm happier this way. I really wanted to marry Akito-san, so why do I regret it so much?

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**Dreaming…**

_Everything around me was dark and blurry. As I walked, I came closer and closer to two figures. I couldn't tell who it was but they weren't strange at all. They were familiar figures. Curious to see who they were, I began to run. When I reached them, my eyes widened. They were…my parents. My mother embraced me tightly and my father embraced us together tightly. _

_"Mom…Dad, I miss you so much!" I said as I burst into tears. _

_My mother lightly patted me on the head. "We've missed you too Tohru," she said._

_"Are you mad at me?" I asked guiltily. _

_"Why would we be sweetheart?" my father asked._

_"I broke the promise that I made to you," I told them._

_My mother chuckled. "But you found your own happiness, didn't you?" she asked._

_"But…But I'm being selfish, Mom," I told her._

_"Sweetheart, your mother and I only want what's best for you," my father said._

_"Really? So you're not mad?" I asked._

_"No," they both said in unison._

_I smiled. _

_"We both wish you the best Tohru. This husband of yours is a great person and we believe that he'll take great care of you," Mom said._

_"I know. Akito-san is great. He's really nice to me," I told her._

_"Tohru, be ready for the unexpected. Know that even if he can't be there for you forever, he has guaranteed you happiness forever… He has given you a life of prosperity and freedom. He has given you all he can and most importantly…he has given you his eternal love, my little Tohru. Enjoy this great life that I know you'll have with Sohma Akito-san," Mom said. _

_"Yes, I know he would treat me very kindly and I will love him eternally as well, but what I want the most is not prosperity…Mom, Dad, I wish that you guys were here…I want you to see me…at my wed---" I paused when I noticed that I was embracing nothing but air. _

_I looked up to find only a pair of familiar slide doors in front of me. My parents were gone. I looked around. This place was very strange, yet familiar to me. Where was I? Beside the doors was a pair of flowers that were in very unique ceramic planters._

_"I've seen these plants somewhere before, but where?" I asked myself._

_I was getting ready to push open the doors, when a familiar voice froze my body and mind._

_"You are unwanted, Yuki, you are an unnecessary existence," I heard the young Akito-san say behind the doors, "Nobody wants you. Everyone hates you because you're the rat. _

_With all of my courage I began to push the doors open…_

**End of Dream…**

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"Miss Tohru…" I heard Tomoe call me.

I squinted as I began to open my eyes. I saw Tomoe's face hanging over mine. She smiled and stepped back as I sat up.

"Good morning, Miss Tohru," she said cheerfully.

"Good morning, Tomoe-san," I replied as I removed the sheets from my body.

"Master Akito-san said that he'll be busy all morning, so he told me to keep you company until this afternoon," Tomoe told me.

"Oh? Does he have guest?" I asked as I washed my face.

Tomoe handed me a towel. "Yes, he's talking to a few of the older juunishis, I heard," Tomoe answered.

"Akito-san must be seeing Ayame-san, Shii-chan, and Hatori-san. Thank you Tomoe-san," I replied as I slipped today's kimono on.

"You're welcome Miss Tohru!" she replied cheerfully as she folded the robe that I had slept in last night.

"Um…Tomoe-san?" I began, "Would it be okay if I were to be alone today?"

Confused, Tomoe asked, "Why? Miss Tohru, are you ill?" she asked.

"No, I just wanted some time to myself," I answered.

"Very well then, I'll be in the kitchen until noon if you need me ," she said as she exited.

"Thank you," I replied.

A few moments after Tomoe left, I decided to go for a walk around the estate. I was wandering the halls when I remembered my dream. However, I couldn't remember what I heard. All I had in my mind right now was the image of the doors.

"I wonder if that room is in the estate," I thought to myself.

I was wandering aimlessly when I suddenly tripped over a plant outside of a pair of doors. I examined the plant. It was the same ones from my dream! I looked up at the doors beside the plants. After hesitating for a moment, I pushed the doors open. I stepped into the room and examined it. It was empty. It was very familiar to me. The walls were covered by lines and strokes of black paint. In the center of the room, there was a square table and beside it was a huge sofa chair. The chair faced a huge window that took up an entire wall. I stared at the chair. Then, a blurry and fade image of a young grey haired boy appeared on the chair. He was looking at the window. I jumped from shock.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that anyone was in---" I paused when the image moved.

It turned and looked at me with its beautiful violet grey eyes. He was a young child. He was a beautiful child; I wouldn't have been able to tell that he was male if it wasn't for his clothing. He looked at me with depressing eyes. He was sad. But why? I stepped for and reached for his arm.

"Excuse me, are you lost Miss---" a voice suddenly rang in the air above me.

Shocked, I jumped again. I turned around to find two young boys standing at the door. One had black and white hair and he was wearing a lot of jewelry for a man. He had his hands in his pockets and he was staring at me. The other…well, he looked a lot like the boy on the sofa chair.

"Oh!" I gasped and turned my attention back to the chair, "He's…gone. Where did he go!"

Scared, I began to panic. I examined the room frantically. The man that looked like the child in the chair came up to me and lightly tapped me on the shoulder. I froze still and focused my entire attention on him. He smiled at me.

"Excuse me, but are you lost?" he asked.

"Um…No…Yes…Sort of…" I answered hesitantly realizing that I wasn't supposed to be there.

This man was very handsome, like Ayame-san, Shii-chan, and Hatori-san. He had grayish silver hair and beautiful violet grey eyes. He also had beautiful fair white skin. He was so…beautiful. Although, I'm not sure if I should describe a man with the word _beautiful_. He was smiling at me.

Snapping out of my thought, I bowed, and answered, "I'm sorry. My name is Tohru Honda and I was just wandering. I really didn't mean to intrude or anything…Um…Mister, you're very beautiful."

The guy blushed. The black and white haired guy stepped up to us. He rested his bent arm on one of the silver haired man's shoulder. He smirked.

"This here is my girlfriend Yuki Sohma. Did you just call her a 'Mister'?" he asked.

Surprised, I began to bow continuously. "I'M SO SORRY, MISS SOHMA-SAN! I REALLY DIDN'T MEAN ANY DISRESPECT! I---" I began to apologize frantically.

The black and white haired man laughed. I paused. The silver haired _woman _pushed his arm off of her shoulder and shot him an angry look. The black and white haired man merely shrugged. The silver haired _woman _bowed slightly.

"Excuse my rude cousin. I am Yuki Sohma and please don't feel sorry, because Haru there is just kidding. I am _not _a woman," he explained.

"Oh?" I replied dumbfounded.

The black and white haired man suddenly waved once cheerfully. "Hi, it's Hatsuharu Sohma. Sorry for scaring ya, little Miss Honda-san," he added.

"Oh, um…Its ok. I don't mine. Nice to meet you both, Hatsuharu Sohma-san and Yuki Sohma-san," I replied somewhat dumbfounded.

Hatsuharu Sohma-san laughed lightly. "Don't you get tongue tied saying all of that? It's ok for you to call me Haru like everyone else," he said while laughing.

I smiled. "Ok, Haru-kun," I replied cheerfully.

"Yes, Haru is right. You don't have to say my full name," Yuki Sohma-san replied.

"Um…Yuki-kun?" I hesitated.

"That sounds good," he replied with a smile, "So Honda-san, are you a servant of the Sohma estate? I don't believe I've ever seen you. Are you new?"

I smiled. "No, actually I'm---" I was interrupted by a scary voice.

"What are you doing here?" Akito-san's angry voice sounded the room.

We all turned to find Akito-san, Ayame-san, Hatori-san, and Shii-chan at the door. I stepped forward in front of Yuki-kun and Haru-kun. I caught a glimpse of the three juunishis behind Akito-san. I bowed.

"Good morning, Ayame-san…Shii-chan…Hatori-san," I greeted them and turned to Akito-san, "Good morning Akito-san."

He ignored me. "Humph," he grunted a little angrily.

"Aha, Shii-chan huh? You _are_ quite the 'dog'," Ayame-san said while laughing lightly, "Oh, my Shii-chan, why must you betray me like this? How can you choose a woman over me?"

Confused, I observed them. Ayame-san had the back of his hand on his forehead and acted as if he was going to faint. Shii-chan placed his arm around Ayame-san's waist and gripped the arm that was held up by Ayame-san.

"Oh, my beloved Ayaa-sama, you know I would never purposely love another more than you, but look at the lovely Tohru-chan. I just help myself. Can you blame me for being attracted to such a beauty?" Shii-chan exaggerated.

Before I knew it, the two held each other's hands in mid air as their body collided. Their eyes sparkled.

"Oh _no_, please forgive _me _my Shii-sama, for I have to admit that I too have fallen for Miss Tohru-chan's beauty when I first saw her. Oh, she's heaven on Earth! Please, forgive me my beloved Shii-sama," Ayame-san replied as his eyes sparkled.

"No, I understand. She is too seductive. No man alive can resist such a beauty, so it's not your fault my Ayaa. I forgive you. Will you forgive me?" Shii-chan replied.

"Yes, of course, yes," Ayame-san replied and the two embraced loosely.

I watched in confusion. Hatori-san coughed once and this caught both of their attentions. They looked at Hatori-san and then followed his eyes to Akito-san and me. Then, suddenly, they appeared by my side. Shii-chan was on my right and he held my right hand in his. Ayame-san was on my left and he held my left hand in his. They both rested their heads against mine. Lost and confused, I shivered a bit frightened by what's going on.

"Oh, fair maiden, would you join me and become the love of my life? Would you be my happiness, my future, my soul, my eternal source of care and compassion? Come, my beautiful maiden, be my queen! Ha-ha!" Ayame-san said while laughing in a very royal kind of way.

"No, ignore him. Be _my_ wife and you will experience a love like no other! I can guarantee you pleasure beyond your wildest dream. I will satisfy your every need… your every desire…you every _fantasy,_" Shii-chan said.

I blushed. Confused and frightened, I didn't know what to say. I stood still in their arms. Then suddenly, Yuki-kun and Haru-kun appeared on either side of us. Yuki-kun punched Shii-chan and Haru-kun kicked Ayame-san. They both flew backward. Stunned, I immediately ran over to the two injured adults.

"Perverts," annoyed, Haru-san and Yuki-kun said in unison.

"Um…Ayame-san, Shii-chan, are you alright?" I asked frantically.

Shii-chan was rubbing his face while Ayame-san was straightening his clothes and combing out his hair with his hands.

"Why must you two be so violent?" Shii-chan asked.

"That's no way to treat royalty like me," Ayame-san pouted.

"Are you alright Shii-chan...Ayame-san?" I asked frantically.

"They're fine, Honda-san," Hatori-san assured me.

"Even if they're not, they won't die. No need to worry yourself," Yuki-kun added.

Unable to react dued to an overdose of confusion and fear, I slowly fell to the ground on my knees dumbfounded. Yuki-kun came over and helped me up. As he slowly pulled me upward, I slipped and accidently grabbed onto Shii-chan and Ayame-san. Yuki-kun tried to grab me but he too fell. Haru-kun who came over to see if Yuki-kun was ok, also slipped and fell ontop of me. Before I knew it, four loud poofs sounded the air. I sat on the ground surprised as four animals appeared before me. There was a rat, an ox, a snake, and a dog.

"Yu…Yuki-kun? Haru-kun?" I said in between breaths as I stared at the unfamiliar ox and rat.

The rat sighed. "Yes, unfortunately its me. This is so embarassing, I'm sorry Honda-san," the rat replied.

"Oh…um…don't worry," I replied with a frightened smile.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too," the ox added.

"Haru-kun?" I said.

"Yup, it's me," he replied.

I smiled. "You're adorable Haru-kun," I complimented him, "You are you too, Yuki-kun."

"Thank you, Honda-san," Yuki-kun replied.

"Cute? You think an ox is cute? What kind of person are you?" Haru-san asked in confusion.

I chuckled a bit.

"Tohru-chan is trying to be nice, Haru, why don't you show some more appreciation," the white snake behind me said suddenly.

Haru-kun didn't reply.

"I bet you think I'm adorable too, right Tohru-chan?" the dog said suddenly.

I turned around and saw the adorable dog that I recognized. "Yes! You're adorable Shii-chan!" I said joyously.

I kneeled down and petted the dog before me.

"Yes, I know. I'm so irresistible," Shii-chan said.

I chuckled a bit. Before I knew it, four loud poofs sounded the room again and I was surrounded in all four sides by naked men. I immediately covered my eyes with my hands. I felt my cheeks boil from embarrassment. I stood up.

"Oh, fair fair Tohru-chan you don't have to be embarrassed. Gaze at my magnificent form all you want, I promise I won't mind," Ayame-san said.

"Um…" I struggled for an answer to this bizarre comment.

Before I came up with an appropriate answer, I felt a tight grip around my arm. It pulled one of my hands off of my eyes, exposing my right eye to see Shii-chan posing naked beside Ayame-san in front of me. I jumped as I blushed. The person that grabbed my arm was Akito-san. He seemed angry. He pulled me and relocated me to a spot right behind him. He shielded me from the naked men. He took a step forward. Yuki-kun and Haru-kun were already dressed, but Shii-chan and Ayame-san were just starting to get dressed. I looked away. Yuki-kun came up to me.

"Ignore my annoying cousin and self-centered _brother_. They didn't mean to be rude on purpose, they're just that way from some unknown reason," Yuki-kun said with a smile.

"Oh, don't worry! I really didn't think that at all. Maybe it was a little awkward, but…" I babbled, "Wait! Shii-chan is your brother!"

Yuki-kun chuckled. I looked at him in confusion. He returned my confused expression with a slight smile. "No, Ayame is, unfortunately," he answered.

"That's amazing! That's so wonderful. I don't have any siblings, but I wish that I did---" I managed to say.

Suddenly, Akito-san slipped in between us.

"Oh no, he's angry," I thought to myself in fear, "Did I do something wrong?"

"Stay away from _my _things," he said to the four juunishis in the room, "She belongs to me, don't even get close to her without my permission."

"Now, now, dear Akito-sama, why must you keep Tohru-chan all to yourself?" Shii-chan said jokingly.

"Poor Tohru-chan," Ayame-san said shaking his head, "Such beauty will never be seen by the world because of someone's selfishness. Akito, you are very selfish, hogging such a fair maiden to yourself."

"Your voices are annoying me, shut up," Akito-san said coldly as he turned to me.

Shii-chan and Ayame-san didn't reply. Yuki-kun and Haru-kun didn't either. Akito-san jerked my arm and pulled me out of the room, past Hatori-san who only watched us pass him.

"Oh, Honda-san!" Yuki-kun called after me.

I turned my head as my body continued to move with Akito-san's.

"It was very nice to have met you," Yuki-kun said with a faint smile.

I returned his smile with a smile of my own as Akito-san and I disappeared down the hall. He took me back to his room, where we ate and spent the rest of the day. I didn't say a word to him as I replayed what happened earlier today over and over again in my head. Akito-san was changing for bed while I was still daydreaming.

"Yuki-kun is very nice. There's something about him that is so familiar, but what is it? And that little boy, I saw him, but he disappeared so suddenly. But was I just hallucinating? That boy looked a lot like Yuki-kun. I wonder…" I thought to myself.

Then, it hit me! I remember now. Eleven years ago, a few months after New Years, I saw Yuki-kun in that same room before. That's it…

"Are you going to sit there all night too?" Akito-san's voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts.

I looked up and found him standing in front of me all changed. He was wearing his sleeping robe now. He stared at me with an annoyed expression.

"Oh, I'm sorry Akito-san," I apologized, "I guess I should go."

I got up and straightened my kimono. I bowed once and turned around. As I walked toward the door, I heard Akito-san sigh. I turned around.

"Is something wrong Akito-san?" I asked.

"YOU IDIOT! YOU ARE SO STUPID ITS ANNOYING!" he yelled suddenly.

Frightened, I broke out into my usual chain of apologies and bows. "Um…I'm sorry, Akito-san, did I do something wrong?" I asked with a shivering voice.

Akito-san sighed and replied in a calmer tone, "Forget it. Here, change."

He threw a sleeping robe at me. I stared at it for a second and then smiled. "Thank you," I replied and started for the door again.

"YOU STUPID GIRL! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING DO YOU?" he yelled again.

I turned around and looked at him confusedly. He sighed again.

"Sleep here tonight…with me," he mumbled to a point where I could barely understand him.

I smiled and walked over to him. I placed the sleeping robe in my hands onto the table. Then, I wrapped my arms around Akito-san's waist tightly and rested my right cheek on his chest. Akito-san was surprised; he didn't return my embrace. I smiled.

"Ok," I said softly.

And once again...For the second time... I fell asleep in Akito-san's warm embrace. I'm so lucky...

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AN: Wow, this chapter turned out a lot longer than I had planned. Sorry. Oh and I am soooo sorry about the late update. I didn't mean to make you all wait especially long. Its just school started for me recently and being the overachieving, straight A's student, I've gotten myself into a lot of things. Clubs…community service…honors/AP classes…you name it! –sighs- Even so, writing is one of my favorite things to do, so I'll definitely continue to write! No worries! However, I can only write during the weekends, so please bear with my slowness with this story. Again, I am so sorry! –Bows- Please, forgive me.


	7. That Woman

**Hidden From the World**

**By: .Cami.B.**

**Chapter 7: "That Woman."**

AN: I've received quite a few questions from many different readers lately. This is definitely a good thing because (to me) it means that you (as the reader) are curious about the story. That and the fact that you're actually reading it. Anyways, point is, normally I would just reply to the reader who asked the questions, but if I come across certain ones that I think everyone should (or would want to) know about, I would answer it in my 'AN' sections. However, I usually won't, so if you have a question that you would like me to answer for you personally, please do ask. I would love to answer any questions you might have. Also, I would love to clarify anything you're confused about. So feel free to ask all you want. Hehe. Whelps, here's chapter 7!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fruits Baskets or any of its lovable characters!

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**Flashback.**

_It's New Year's Eve. Everyone in the estate was rushing to prepare for the incoming New Year, even Tomoe. I was left alone in my room. The sun was setting and its dissolving light blended to dye the sky an orange- pink color. I watched the sun disappear behind the wall that separated the garden from the outside world. I was sitting on my patio overlooking the garden._

_"It's been almost a year and a half now since I came here," I thought to myself. _

_I had just turned seven not that long ago and Akito-san was nine at this time. _

_I sat on the edge of the patio with my legs hanging off the side. I heard my room door open. I didn't bother to look. I was too distracted by the scenery. I felt the person's footsteps. They stepped gently onto the patio. I turned my head. It was Akito-san. He smirked of disgust. I quickly got up, straightened my kimono, and smiled at him._

_"Good evening, Akito-san," I greeted him cheerfully._

_"I---" Akito-san began hesitantly._

_Concerned, I bit my lip nervously. "Is something wrong?" I asked worried._

_He looked at me, but nothing came out of his mouth. _

_I knew what he wanted to say. I smiled. "Does Akito-san want to tell Tohru that he'll be spending New Year with the Juunishi?" I asked cheerfully._

_Akito-san grunted a little and smirked. "Don't think that you're smart just because you guessed correctly," he said._

_I smiled and shook my head lightly. "I would never think that I am smarter than Akito-san if that's what you mean. You are the wisest, Akito-san. I admire you, Akito-san," I said cheerfully. (And I really did.)_

_"Shut up! Stop doing that!" he said annoyed._

_"Stop what, Akito-san?" I asked confusedly._

_"Stop, that…Stop saying my name so much. You make it sound stupid!" he answered still annoyed._

_I giggled a bit. "Oh, sorry, Aki—I mean, I'm sorry. I just really like the way Aki---your name sounds. Its cute," I giggled. _

_"YOU IDIOT, A NAME IS NOT CUTE!" Akito-san burst angrily._

_Tears came to my eyes. "I'm…I'm sorry," I apologized sadly._

_Akito-san sighed and headed back into the room. "I don't want anyone to know about you. You'll be spending New Years alone again," he said as he headed for the door._

_"Ok, I understand," I said cheerful now knowing that Akito-san cared after all. _

_Akito-san turned his head slightly to see my smiling face and then exited. _

**End of Flashback.**

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Since before I can remember, I've spent every New Year alone. Tomoe would have to go help out with the preparations and Akito-san spent it with his Juunishi, so I was always alone. I told them that I didn't mind, but in a way, I really did. I remember after Akito-san left that evening, I cried and the next day, I cried to myself silently in my room all New Year's day. I didn't cry because I felt left out; I cried because I started to remember the New Years that I spent with my parents. I missed them. I really miss them…

"Are you awake yet?" Akito-san asked.

"Oh!" I snapped suddenly, "Yes."

I sat up on Akito-san's bed. He was already changed into his usual red and white yukata. He stared at me in disgust. He closed his eyes and lightly shook his head.

"Disgusting," he said as his eyes opened again.

"Huh?" I asked confusedly.

"You're hideous, you know that. You're so ugly, it hurts to look at you," Akito-san said.

I looked down at my robe; it was still tied and neat. I then reached for my hair. To my surprise, it was tangled together and puffy. I quickly began to brush through it with my fingers. Embarrassed, I blushed. Akito-san then slightly turned his body. His loose yukata moved with his motion exposing a part of his chest that was bleeding from some sort of scratching. I immediately ran over to him and examined the scratches.

"Oh! Akito-san, you're hurt. What happened? Are you ok?" I asked frantically.

Akito-san didn't answer me. He merely watched me in amusement.

"AH! You're bleeding even more now!" I yelled frantically, "TOMOE-SAN!"

Tomoe ran into the room frightened. "Yes!" she answered.

"Akito-san is bleeding! Quick, get some bandages," I told her.

She nodded and ran out of the room. I returned my attention to Akito-san. He ignored me and sat down beside the table with the tips of my fingers against his chest. As a result, my body followed his to the ground. In a few minutes, Tomoe returned with a first aid kit. I assisted Akito-san's wound while Tomoe went to prepare our breakfasts. I reached for Akito-san's chest, but half way, I stopped hesitantly. I blushed. Akito-san noticed and slipped the top portion of his yukata off exposing his bare and built chest. I was even redder now. I froze.

"Are you done being retarded yet?" he ask impatiently.

"Oh! I'm sorry, it's just…" I hesitated.

There was long silence. It felt really weird. Akito-san is half naked in front of me and…well…it's just so weird. I can't touch him. That would be…I just can't. I just sat there with the roll of bandage in my hands on my lap. I was lost in thought as my mind debated on what to do.

"Did you have a bad dream last night?" Akito-san asked suddenly.

"Huh? Why?" I replied snapping back into reality.

He looked down at his scratches and then back at me. "You're such an idiot, you pulled me close to you and grabbed me so tightly that your nails dug into my skin last night," Akito-san explained.

Shocked, I suddenly began to bandage his wounds frantically and bandages flew out of control. "I DID THIS! I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY, AKITO-SAN! I DIDN'T MEAN IT! I REALLY---" I yelled frantically.

Akito-san stopped me by grabbing both of my arms. He guided them back into my lap and removed the bandages from my hands. I broke out into tears uncontrollably. Akito-san just watched me as he untangled his upper body parts from the bandages.

"I saw Mom…and Dad. They came and left me again…I hate it when they leave. I don't want them to leave…I…I miss them," I said in between breaths as I continued to sob.

Akito-san returned the top portion of his yukata to how it originally was.

"I…I felt so alone when they left. They're all I have…but they're gone," I continued to sob.

Akito-san reached for my forehead. Without saying a word, he stood up and then kneeled down beside me. Suddenly, he reached under me and lifted me off of the ground. He set me down on his bed and headed for the door.

"Akito-san," I called after him.

"What?" he answered.

"Where are you---" I managed to say before Akito-san interrupted me.

"I'm going to get Hatori," he said coldly.

"Why?" I asked.

"BECAUSE YOU'RE SICK, YOU IDIOT!" he yelled annoyed by my idiotic question.

"Oh," I replied feeling stupid because I didn't know that I was sick.

Akito-san sighed and replied softly, "Stay here."

He left. I sat alone on his bed in tears. I heard the birds chirping outside. The room was quiet and peaceful. At least until a loud cracking noise sounded the room.

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**Flashback.**

_I was heading to the kitchen to find Tomoe one year when I was around six or seven. I was walking down a foreign hall when suddenly… BANG! A loud noise that sounded like scattered dishware came from a room that I had just pasted by. Curious, I went back to the doors. I peeked into the room through a little opening between the pair of doors. _

_To my surprise, I found Akito-san and an unfamiliar boy with grey hair. Akito-san had either of his hands on his ears. He was angry at that boy, but I didn't know why. There were a lot of food and broken dishes on the ground beside the grey haired boy. The boy coughed twice lightly. Akito-san immediately stood up._

_"STOP IT! STOP THAT! STOP COUGHING! IT'S ANNOYING! YOU'RE ANNOYING!" Akito-san began to yell angrily._

_The boy immediately covered his mouth with both of his hands. However, it was useless. Another soft cough escaped from him. This little cough cracked Akito-san. Akito-san grabbed the boy and pushed him onto the broken glass angrily. My eyes widened as I watch the boy bleed through many cuts. Tears came to the boy's eyes. Akito-san glared at him. Before I knew it, Akito-san was storming around the room with a brush covered with black paint. He drew on the wall, stroke after stroke. The walls were covered in black ink. _

_"EVERYONE IN THIS WORLD IS EVIL! EVERYONE IS DARK! THE WORLD IS AN EVIL AND DARK PLACE!" Akito-san yelled seeming to have gone berserk. _

_The boy was frightened and so was I. I've never seen Akito-san like this before. He seemed so…depressed. Akito-san went over to the boy and grabbed his bleeding body off of the ground. Akito-san pushed him against a wall. _

_"DON'T YOU THINK SO? DON'T YOU THINK THE WORLD IS A DARK AND EVIL PLACE?" Akito-san asked the boy._

_The boy didn't answer him. He only cried. _

_"DON'T YOU THINK SO YUKI?" Akito-san asked again forcing the boy to agree with him._

_The boy once again didn't answer. This angered Akito-san. Akito-san made him hold the brush and pushed the boy's body hard against the wall. _

_"HELP ME MAKE THIS ROOM MORE LIKE THE REST OF THE WORLD, YUKI! WE HAVE TO PAINT IT BLACK SO IT WILL FIT IN WITH THE REST OF THIS EVIL WORLD!" Akito-san exclaimed._

_Frightened, I began to run. I ran as fast as I can and ended up in the kitchen, where I intended to go. There I found Tomoe; she greeted me with a warm smile. I decided not to tell her what I saw and kept it all to myself._

**End of Flashback.**

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Yuki-kun was that same boy from that day. He was the one that Akito-san tortured physically and mentally. Yuki-kun must have been very sad then. After that day, I never saw Yuki-kun again until just the other day. He seems a lot happier now. However, there's something about Yuki-kun's expression that makes me feel…well, depressed. There's something, but I just don't know what exactly yet. Maybe just maybe Yuki-kun is hiding something…or at least, he _was _trying to hide something until now…I think I've accidentally seen something in him that was never meant to be seen…or was it?

Suddenly, Tomoe opened the room door and stepped in with a tray of broken glass and mush up food. She forced a smile.

"I'm sorry, Miss Tohru, I accidentally slipped just outside and ruined Master Akito-san's and your breakfast," she explained.

I smiled. "It's ok. Akito-san went to get Hatori-san, so he probably won't be back for awhile. You have enough time to go prepare something else," I told her.

A sigh of relief escaped through he lips. "Thank goodness. Master Akito-san hates clumsy people. I was so afraid that he had heard all of the noise. Well, I'll go get you two some new breakfasts then. Be right back," Tomoe said cheerfully as she headed back outside with the tray of broken glass and mush up food.

Shortly after Tomoe left, Akito-san stepped in with Hatori-san close behind. I smiled at the both of them.

"Good morning Hatori-san," I greeted Hatori-san.

"Good morning Honda-san," he replied coolly.

I smiled. Hatori-san set his briefcase on the table and came over to me. He reached for my forehead. He examined me thoroughly. Then, he went over to his briefcase and took out some sort of medicine.

"Akito told me that you had a fever, so I brought this to save the trip back," Hatori-san said, "Get some rest after you take it."

I nodded. Hatori-san was packing up his things when suddenly Akito-san started to cough.

"Akito-san, are you ill?" I asked worriedly.

He ignored me. Hatori-san stopped and looked over at him.

"Are you alright Akito?" he asked.

"I'm _fine_. Your work is done here. Leave," Akito-san replied coldly.

Hatori-san looked at me and then sighed. He finished packing his things and exited the room leaving Akito-san and me. Akito-san coughed again.

"Akito-san," I said softly.

He turned his head and looked at me.

"Are you alright?" I asked nervously.

"I'm fine," he answered simply.

Tomoe entered the room a few moments later with our breakfasts. I got dressed in today's kimono in my room and met Akito-san in his room for breakfast. Akito-san's coughing grew worst as we ate together. I didn't ask him about it because I knew that he wasn't going to tell me anything. I only watched in concern. After breakfast, I went for a walk with Akito-san. We walked around the garden (like we normally would) and to my surprise, Akito-san decided to take me around the rest of the estate (the parts where I've never been before).

"Akito-san, is something wrong? Is something bothering you?" I asked softly as we made our way down a hall.

He looked at me but didn't answer me.

"Did I do something that upset you?" I asked concernedly.

Realizing that if he didn't answer me, I would probably have an emotion break down. Akito-san decided to answer me. "No, I'm fine," he said simply.

"But---" I began.

"I said I'm fine," he repeated seeming to be getting annoyed.

I was quiet as I followed Akito-san around the foreign parts of the estate. He led me to places in the estate that I've never seen before. It was as if we were in a whole other estate. I was examining our surroundings in amazement when an old servant saw us. She came up to us with a tray of white cloths that were dyed red by some sort of paint or ink. She bowed. I wanted to return a bow of my own, but Akito-san placed his arm in front of me and forced my body back upward. This confused me.

"Why, good morning there little Master Akito," she greeted Akito-san politely.

Akito-san glared at her in disgust. He doesn't seem to like this woman, but I have no idea why. The lady seemed to have foreseen Akito-san's reaction because she didn't seem the least bit surprised. She turned her attention to me. She smiled and I smiled back.

"Oh, I see our little Master Akito has made a new friend," she said, "Are you from the outside dear?"

"Hm?" I replied not understanding what she meant.

"Are you a Sohma that lives outside of the estate?" she asked.

"Oh, no, I'm Tohru Honda! Nice to meet you Ma'am," I said and bowed.

The lady smiled. "So you're not a Sohma?" she replied.

I shook my head. Her gentle smile dissolved in a grin. She turned her attention back to Akito-san.

"I see you have allowed a stranger into the estate. I know for a fact that Madame will not be please with this," she said.

"I'll do whatever pleases me. I don't care what that woman thinks," Akito-san said annoyed.

"I see," the lady replied, "Who is she?"

Akito-san ignored her. She was looking at me now.

"Then she is not important. If she is not important, then she must be escorted out of the estate immediately," the lady said coldly.

I jumped from the suddenness of her statement. I looked at Akito-san, who didn't seem the least bit fazed.

"I will escort her myself," she added, "If you're ready Miss Honda, is it?"

I nodded nervously.

"I'm sorry Miss Honda, but you have to go…now," she said as she came up to me.

She gently gripped my elbow and pulled me with her.

This woman was just a servant, but there was something about her that makes her seem so…powerful. For one, she speaks to Akito-san in a way that's a lot different from the way Tomoe does. I wonder if she's some sort of special servant.

She pulled me a long with her, but after just a few small steps, Akito-san grabbed my other arm. He jerked my body to his. I fell backward. My body landed against Akito-san's. His right arm was now around my waist. He looked at the old woman in front of us with bitter hatred in his eyes. I was frightened.

"Don't touch her," Akito-san said coldly.

The old lady didn't seem to be frightened by Akito-san.

"She is an outsider, she can not stay," she said firmly.

"Who are you to tell me who can or can not stay in my estate?" Akito-san asked.

"I am nothing more than a servant, but Madame…will never allow her to stay if she knew," the woman said looking toward me.

"I don't care what that woman thinks," Akito-san replied.

"But you should, she is after all---" the woman managed to say before Akito-san interrupted.

"Shut up," Akito-san said coldly.

The woman sighed. "It doesn't matter if you deny her, this _outsider _still can't stay," she said.

"She's staying," Akito-san said simply.

Without another word, Akito-san turned around and started walking the way. He held my hand in his so I was forced to follow him.

"Why do you intend to keep her here?" the woman asked suddenly.

Akito-san stopped. He turned his head slightly and looked at me. I blushed. Before I knew it, Akito-san forced my body onto a near by wall and trapped me there with an arm on either side. Scared, I closed my eyes. Suddenly, I felt Akito-san's gentle kiss. I felt his fingers brush through my long brown hair. This was not right, I knew, but I went a long with it. I placed both of my palms against Akito-san's chest as we shared a long and passionate kiss. Then, he pulled his lips away from mine. Our eyes met for a second or two. I blushed. Akito-san turned his head and looked at the woman who seemed surprised.

"In two weeks, this _outsider_ will be my wife, your new Mistress. Go tell that to your _Madame. _That should kill her," Akito-san said amused.

"But--- you can't marry an outsider! Your wife can't be some nobody!" the woman yelled angrily.

Akito-san started walking again. "I'll marry whom ever I wish to marry. I don't need consent from a worthless old servant," Akito-san said without looking back.

"Madame is already in severe condition, you can't anger her at this time. It will kill her if she found out!" the woman yelled.

"Let that woman die…for all I care," Akito-san replied emotionlessly.

The old servant was dumbfounded as she watched us disappear before her. We headed back to Akito-san's room. On the way back, Akito-san began to cough again. Worried, I insisted Akito-san see Hatori-san.

"Akito-san, go see Hatori-san. You don't look so well," I pleaded concernedly.

"Don't tell me what to do," he said coldly. He coughed twice.

"Akito-san, please," I begged.

He coughed again once. "Shut up, you're annoying," he replied annoyed.

"Akito-san---" I began.

"I said shut up. Don't make me say it again or you'll regret it," Akito-san said and entered his room.

I followed him. He coughed again twice. I bit my lip and decided to try again.

"If you won't go see Hatori-san then I will go bring him here," I declared suddenly.

Akito-san didn't reply. He only coughed once more. Impatient, I decided to go get Hatori-san. I ran out of the room and down the hall. Then, I stopped in the middle of the hall and realized something… I didn't know where Hatori-san's room was.

After wandering for an hour or two, I never found Hatori-san. I returned to Akito-san's room to find him asleep. Then, I returned to my room. I sat out on my patio and thought for a while. I was angry…I was angry because I couldn't help Akito-san. He was ill, but I can't do anything. A long with my thoughts, images of our first kiss kept replaying in my mind. I blushed.

"Miss Tohru, you're blushing!" Tomoe's voice suddenly rang in my head.

I turned my head and saw Tomoe's smiling face.

"You're blushing. Is something wrong?" she asked concernedly.

"No, I was just thinking," I told her, "But thank you for caring."

She smiled. "Its time to take your medication," she told me and headed back into the room.

I followed her to the table where two white pills were in a small cup beside a glass of water. I took the pills. Tomoe handed me a sleeping robe.

"Master Hatori-san said that you are to rest well after you take your medication," she explained.

I smiled. "Ok," I replied.

I changed into the sleeping robe while Tomoe was folding my kimono. Tomoe was ready to leave when she was done. She grabbed the tray with the empty cup and half full glass. She exited. I settled into my bed as the medication began to kick in. I became drozy and eventually, I started to fall asleep.

"I wonder who that old servant is and who is that 'Madame' that she constantly refers to? They must both be very important…But Akito-san…he doesn't seem to like either of them that much. I wonder why. As I spend more and more time here, I'm discovering more and more about the Sohmas. I wonder what's awaiting me when I wake up again…Who knows…" I thought to myself as I fell asleep.

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AN: For those of you who think that Tomoe is some mid-age (or older) woman. She's not. She's only 8 years older than Akito, making her (at the moment) 27. So no, she's not a forty year old servant that acts very young. Just wanted to explain this to those who might find Tomoe's behavior "weird" for a person who they thought to be older.


	8. Little Kumosan!

**Hidden From the World**

**By: .Cami.B.**

**Chapter 8: Little Kumo-san!**

AN: I AM SOO SORRY! T-T I was so busy the past couple of weeks that I had no time to write, which is very unfortunate considering the fact that I am most relaxed when I am writing. So you can just imagine how hectic things were for me the past couple of weeks. Being a senior (12th grader) in high school and the Treasurer of a huge club on campus, I have MANY responsibilities and things to deal with. To make matters worse, being born into a financially challenged single parented family, I must find my own way to college through scholarships and financial aid. So can you just imagine the amount of paper work I have to deal with? X (Plus those advanced placement class can be quite overwhelming if you can't manage them perfectly, balancing each with the other. –Sighs- I am also a perfectionist that settles for no less than a 4.0 GPA (straight A's), which as a result, makes things even more complicating and challenging. But oh wells, I kept up my perfect grades for 3 whole years now, I can't give up now! Anyways, once again, I apologize for the overly long wait for this _one_ chapter. –bows- Please forgive me. If you do find the heart to forgive me, please review! Thank you.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fruits Baskets or any of its lovable characters!

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I felt a gentle nudge. Weakly, I pushed my eyes open to find a very blurry face hanging over mine. This person's mouth was moving, but everything that was coming out of it was faint whispers. They reached behind me and helped me up. My head was pounding. Rubbing my head lightly, the figure before me began to take shape. It was Tomoe-san. (I should've known.)

"Good morning Tomoe-san," I said weakly.

"Morning?" she repeated confusedly, "Its one o'clock already, Miss Tohru."

"One o'clock? I slept in?" I replied surprised.

"Master Akito-san told me to let you sleep in today," she explained with a huge smile on her flawless face.

"Akito-san told you to let me sleep in today? Where is he?" I asked.

"He---" Tomoe-san hesitated, "I don't know."

She lied, I know she did. "Tomoe-san, where is Akito-san?" I asked again as firmly as possible.

Ignoring my question, she retrieved a huge box with a big pink ribbon on it. She returned to my bedside and handed it to me. Confused, I waited for an explanation.

"It's a present from Master Akito-san. He told me to give it to you when you wake up," Tomoe-san explained cheerfully.

I examined the box. It was a really big box. What could be inside? Why did Akito-san decide to surprise with a present for no particular reason?

"Miss Tohru," Tomoe-san said suddenly.

I looked up.

"You should really open it before your present dies," she said nervously biting her lower lip.

My eyes widened. "Die!" I gasped as I quickly pulled the lid off.

A cute little bunny poked its head out of the box to examine its surroundings. It was a white bunny with light brown eyes. The unique thing about this bunny was that sky blue spot on its forehead. Once I saw its adorable face, I smiled uncontrollably. I pulled the bunny out of the box and held it in the air. I observed it in astonishment.

"It's so adorable!" I practically squealed.

Tomoe smiled. I descended the bunny and landed it on my lap. I ran my fingers through its snow white fur.

"Akito-san picked this little guy out this morning before he left," Tomoe told me.

"Akito-san picked him out especially for me?" I repeated in disbelief.

Tomoe-san nodded. "Yup, I went with him to get the little guy this morning," she told me.

"Why?" I asked confused.

Tomoe-san shrugged. "Who knows? Master Akito-san doesn't like to nor does he have to explain his actions to _anyone_," she said as he placed the empty box on the floor.

"I don't understand," I said.

"You don't have to, just accept it if it's meant to be for you," Tomoe-san said.

"But---e" I hesitated.

"He was very expensive by the way," Tomoe-san told me.

My eyes widened.

"Because he was so unique, with the blue and all, he cost Master Akito-san about 351,600 ¥ (_a little over $3000 US dollars_). We had to go to a world renowned rabbit breeder to get him," Tomoe-san explained.

"WHAT!" I jerked, "WHY WOULD AKITO-SAN SPEND SO MUCH ON ME? I DON'T DESERVE THIS! HE IS TOO PRECIOUS; I CAN'T ACCEPT HIM! HE NEEDS TO BE RETURNED TO AKITO-SAN IMMEDIATELY!"

I handed the bunny to Tomoe-san frantically. She giggled a bit.

"Master Akito-san knew that you were going to intend on returning it if you knew of the price. I think that's why he told me not to tell you. Oops," Tomoe-san commented and shrugged.

I looked at her confusedly. Suddenly, the playful expression on Tomoe-san's face changed into a more serious one.

She smiled at me in a very grateful and satisfied way. "Miss Tohru, this is Master Akito-san's present to you. You need not worry about the price. For one, a few hundred yens is spare change in this wealthy family. Secondly, I'm sure that your smiling face is worth way more to than a few hundred yens to Master Akito-san," she said seriously, "Thank you, Miss Tohru."

"Hm, for what Tomoe-san?" I asked idiotically.

"For saving my poor master," she said softly.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

She smiled. "You'll know in time---e" she paused, "Miss Tohru, can I ask for a favor from you?"

"Yes?" I replied with the bunny now back on my lap.

"Please continue to smile the way you do…for Master Akito-san. Your smile seems to be the only thing that can keep him alive," Tomoe-san said.

Not understand why Tomoe-san made such an awkward request, I was only able to smile back. "Ok," I replied cheerfully.

She returned my smile with hers.

"So what are you going to name it?" Tomoe-san asked suddenly.

I thought for a moment. "Kumo, I'm going to call him Kumo-san!" I answered joyously, "Kumo for the clouds."

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**Flashback. **

_It was mid winter and it was especially cold this year. I am currently fifteen years old. I was sitting in my room working on finishing a scarf when suddenly I heard Akito-san's angry voice coming toward the room. Quickly, I stashed everything under the sheets. Akito-san jerked opened my room doors and stormed in. I stood up and bowed._

_"Good afternoon Akito-san. Is something wrong?" I greeted him._

_He glared at me with anger filled eyes. "Do you think you're too good for me?" he asked angrily._

_"No!" I answered, "Why would you think that?"_

_Akito-san grabbed my face. I was frightened. He pulled my face to his with his nails deep in my skip._

_"I am the only one that is superior here. I own everything and everyone. You belong to me! And you are to do whatever pleases me!" he yelled._

_I closed my eyes as tears came to my eyes. Akito-san released me. _

_"I'm…sorry," I apologized, "I didn't mean to upset you." (Even though I didn't know what I had done.)_

_He headed for the door. "Come have lunch with me now," he demanded seeming to be in a better mood now. _

_Remembering my "project" which has to be done in less than a week, I answered, "But I can't!"_

_Akito-san's entire body jerked around. He gave me an evil glare._

_"What did you say!" he asked angrily._

_"I…I said…I can't," I answered nervously._

_Almost instantly, Akito-san slapped me hard across my face. _

_"IF YOU DON'T WANT TO EAT WITH ME, THEN YOU CAN EAT ALONE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!" Akito-san yelled._

_"I'm sorry Akito-san," I apologized sadly. _

_"Shut up! I don't want to hear your annoying voice!" he yelled as he exited the room. _

_When Akito-san was out of the room, I quickly (but sadly) returned to my knitting. _

_Akito-san didn't summon me for the whole next week. He forbidden anyone from seeing me and he locked me in my room. In a way it was actually a good thing because it gave me time to finish the scarf. After about a week, on that "special day", I sneaked out of my room early in the morning and into Akito-san's room. He was still asleep. Quietly I set the folded (and finally finished) scarf neatly onto the table. Then, I turned around and started for the door._

_"Why are you in here?" Akito-san's voice sounded the quiet room suddenly._

_Surprised, I turned around to find Akito-san awake on his bed. _

_"I…I…" I pandered for a way to explain things. _

_"You what?" he asked impatiently._

_"Well, today is our ten year anniversary, so I made a scarf for you. It's nothing much, but I really hope you'll like it, Akito-san," I explained._

_He glared at me in annoyance. "I don't know what you're talking about," he exclaimed._

_"Ten years ago, today, you took me in and since then, I've never forgotten what you did for me. I am very grateful to have been accepted by Akito-san. I know that a scarf isn't even close to the things you've given me but----" Akito-san interrupted me._

_He got off of his bed and walked over to the table with his loose sleeping robe falling off of his shoulders to reveal his chest. I looked away._

_"Do you think that I will forgive you because of this stupid scarf?" he asked as he picked it up off of the table._

_"No. I do not dare ask for your forgiveness; all I want is for Akito-san to accept my gift," I explained still looking away._

_There was a short silence. I turned to look at Akito-san. He released the scarf and allowed it to fall onto the ground. Then, he took a step forward, stepping on the scarf, toward me. I looked at the scarf on the ground under Akito-san's foot. _

_"You are like this stupid scarf, worthless and useless!" Akito-san said, "I hate it. It's cheap and ugly. Happy? Now, get out, I'm tired!"_

_Tears came to my eyes. I slowly made my way back to my room. Tomoe-san was waiting for me in my room. This surprised me since I haven't seen her for so long. She came up to me and examined my wet face._

_"Miss Tohru, what's wrong?" she asked concernedly._

_I didn't answer her. _

_"Did Master Akito-san say something mean to you again?" she asked._

_I shook my head. Tomoe-san bit her lower lip. _

_"I noticed that the scarf that you've been working on all week is missing and today is that day. Did Master Akito-san reject your gift?" she asked._

_I forced myself to shake my head. Tomoe-san pulled my body to hers and embraced me tightly._

_"It's ok. I'm sure Master Akito-san is still angry over that incident last week. He'll be over it soon," Tomoe-san said softly._

_"I…I worked really hard on that scarf…and I really thought that Akito-san will like it," I gave in uncontrollably in between breaths, "I'm such an idiot."_

_"No you're not," Tomoe-san tried to comfort me, "I'm sure if Master Akito-san knew how hard you worked on it and that you've skipped meals just to work on it, he'll forgive you."_

_Suddenly a loud door slammed on the other side of my room doors. Tomoe-san went over to see what caused it. She examined the empty and quiet halls. She shrugged._

_Later that day Tomoe-san and I took at walk in the snow. I was still upset over what had happened that morning, but I tried my best to hide it from Tomoe-san. We were wandering quietly and my attention the whole time was on the snow beneath my feet. Suddenly, Tomoe stopped. I looked up to find Akito-san standing before us. He glared at Tomoe-san. Tomoe-san smiled._

_"Oops, forgot that I have some chores to do. I have to go, sorry Miss Tohru," she said as she sped off. _

_"But—" I tried to call after her, but it was no use. I turned my attention to Akito-san._

_I examined him. My eyes widened when I saw my scarf in his hand. He looked at me and then sighed. He handed me the scarf. I took it and turned around._

_"Where are you going?" Akito-san asked._

_I turned my head. "Back to my room," I answered, "Please don't be angry with Tomoe-san, I forced her to take me out."_

_"Did I tell you to go back to your room?" he asked in annoyance._

_I turned my entire body around. "No," I answered hopefully._

_He looked at the scarf in my hands. After a long and awkward silence, Akito-san spoke again._

_"I want to put it on," he said._

_Instantly a huge smile came onto my face. I walked over and wrapped the scarf around Akito-san's neck. I was straightening a few crooked ends when Akito-san grabbed my right hand suddenly. I paused and looked at our hands. I blushed. He guided my hands away from his neck and the scarf and down to our sides. He began to walk and pulled me along with him. I smiled._

**End of Flashback.**

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I took Kumo-san out to the garden and released him to play. I was feeding him a carrot when, suddenly, he began to hop away. Frantic, I chased after him.

"KUMO-SAN, PLEASE, WAIT!" I called after him.

Kumo-san kept hopping away, further and further, we ran into foreign parts of the estate. As I ran, I heard some sort of music. It sounded like a violin, but who would be playing a violin? I shook off this thought and continued to run after Kumo-san. When we came to a complete other garden, I stumbled over a small rock and flew forward in my tight and clumsy kimono. However, a person out of the blue caught me. Poof!

"Ah!" I jerked recognizing this poof.

When all of the smoke disappeared, I saw Kumo-san beside another rabbit. This other rabbit was yellow with beautiful brown eyes. It was just as adorable as Kumo-san. Then, I saw some clothes behind the two critters. My eyes widened.

"Um…excuse me, are you…one of the Juunishi?" I asked nervously.

I yellow rabbit looked up at me for a second and then pounced onto me, embracing my face.

"HOW DID YA KNOW! I _AM_ A JUUNISHI! I AM I AM!" he yelled cheerfully.

Frightened, I struggled backward but the rabbit held onto my face. I couldn't breathe.

"ARE YOU ONE OF THOSE SERVANTS PEOPLE? ARE YOU ARE YOU?" he continued even more cheerful now.

I didn't reply for I was to busy trying to breathe again. The rabbit noticed this and finally released my face. I immediate began to breathe rapidly as my eyes looked down upon the talking rabbit on my lap. He waited.

"No, I'm Tohru Honda," I told him.

"Tohru?" he repeated confusedly as he thought deeply, "Nope, I don't know you."

I giggled. "Yeah," I replied lacking a better response.

"I'm Momiji Sohma, the rabbit of the zodiac," the rabbit said excitedly, "I don't usually get to meet strangers! Let's be friends!"

I smiled. "Ok! It's very nice to meet you Sohma-san," I replied.

"Who's that?" the rabbit asked confusedly.

"You're Sohma-san," I told him joyously.

"Oh, you can call me Momiji and I'll call you Tohru. K?" he replied.

"Ok," I said.

Then, a poof returned the rabbit to his human form. I watched as the smoked disappeared to reveal a cute blonde haired little boy half dressed. (He began to dress immediately as if he knew when he was going to change back.) While he was getting dress, I stood up and straightened my kimono out. When the boy was finished, he immediately came over to me. With his arms behind his back and his body half bent, he poked his head upward seeming to be examining my face. I blush.

"Is there something on my face?" I asked embarrassed.

The boy smiled. "Nope," he said with a huge smile, "You're just very pretty."

I felt my cheeks burning up. "Oh, um, thank you," I replied shyly.

The boy nodded lightly and backed away. Instantly, Kumo-san (whom of which I have forgotten all about) jumped into Momiji-kun's arms.

"Ah! Kumo-san, please, don't do that, that's rude!" I gasped nervously.

Momiji only laughed as he pet Kumo-san.

"I am so sorry Momiji-kun," I apologized shamefully.

"Its ok, I'm use to it," he explained.

"Use to it?" I repeated idiotically.

He nodded, "Uh-huh, animal comes to us Juunishi all the time. But I really didn't expect a bunny to come to me in the estate. I never knew that pets were allowed here."

"Huh? Are pets not allowed in the estate?" I asked curiously.

Momiji-kun nodded. "Yup, Akito forbids it. He hates them. He said that they're irritating and filthy," he told me.

I jumped. "Oh really!" I gasped nervously.

Momiji-kun laughed. "You're funny," he said.

I blushed.

"So if you're not a servant or a Sohma, then why are you here?" Momiji-kun asked curiously as he returned Kumo-san to me.

"Oh, I live here," I told him with a smile.

Instantly his eyes filled with surprise and curiosity. He drowned me with many questions, all of which I was happy to answer. We sat on his patio that overlooked the small garden and began to talk about almost everything.

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AN: I will try my best not to lag on anymore chapters. Once again, I am very sorry!


	9. Being Sent Away

**Hidden From the World**

**By:.Cami.B.**

**Chapter 9: Being Sent Away…**

AN: Hello everyone! Sorry about the short delay on this chapter. I had to practice for a competition on Tuesday. (We won first place, so I'm definitely happy about that.) Then, I tried to upload this chapter on Wednesday, but I kept getting error messages all day. I'm really sorry! Any who, here's Chapter 9. There's a surprise at the end…hehe. Hope you like it! Oh and if you can spare a few minutes, please review! Thank you!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fruits Baskets or any of its characters. I am merely a dedicated fan! Hehe.

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"I see, so how did you get into the estate?" Momiji-kun replied with yet another question.

I smiled at his curious face. We were both comfortably located on Momiji-kun's patio with Kumo-san between us. Momiji-kun waited patiently for my answer.

"I was brought in of course!" I answered cheerfully.

"By whom?" he added.

"Um…"I hesitated.

"So?" Momiji-kun encouraged me to answer.

"By Akito-san," I decided to answer honestly.

Instantly, Momiji-kun's eyes widened from disbelief. "Really!" he gasped, "But Akito never likes to have strangers in the estate."

"Yeah, Tomoe-san mentioned that to me before," I told him.

"Whose Tomoe-san?" he asked seeming to have forgotten about the question before.

"Oh, she's a servant here. She's also my best friend!" I told him excitedly.

Momiji-kun, with his index finger cutely poking against his chin, began to take in my information slowly as I watched with a smile.

"OoooHhh," he mumbled seeming to comprehend my statements.

I smiled as his gaze returned from the sky to me. There was a short silence.

"I WANNA KNOW MORE ABOUT YOU TOHRU! TELL ME MORE!" he jerked suddenly surprising me and Kumo-san (who instantly became alert).

I laughed lightly at this adorable little boy before me.

"Well, let's see…"I began.

For the rest of that afternoon, Momiji-kun and I got to know each other more. I found out that Momiji-kun was an orphan (he says) and that he had lived in that part of the estate since before he can remember. I also found out some things about the Juunishi. He described the Juunishi I've yet to meet, to me in detail. I was very much fascinated and time flew by so quickly. Before we knew it, it was almost five o'clock into the evening.

"Miss Tohru! Where are you?" I heard Tomoe-san's voice call.

I turned my head to the direction of the call. Momiji-kun did too.

"Is that person calling you Tohru?" he asked adorably.

I nodded, "Its Tomoe-san."

"REALLY!" he gasped, "I want to meet her too. She sounds very nice."

I smiled at him and called out to Tomoe-san, "Tomoe-san, I'm over here!"

Instantly a familiar face poked out from a near by bush. Tomoe-san examined the two of us curiously as she headed over. She bowed when she came close to Momiji-kun and me.

"Good evening, Master Momiji-san…Miss Tohru," she greeted us formally as required by the rules of the estate.

"Is something wrong Tomoe-san?" I asked assuming that she was looking for me because something happened.

"Not really, Akito-san sent a message home just earlier. He said that he will not be returning to the estate anytime soon," she informed me.

Confused, I questioned her, "Why? And where is he? Is he alright?"

"He's fine, but he specifically told me that you are to be kept here within the estate until he returns," she answered.

I smiled at her. "Ok, I won't go anywhere," I promised.

Tomoe-san's eyes were shifting between Momiji-kun and me. This made me nervous, but Momiji-kun doesn't seem to notice it. He only smiled.

"Oh, Miss Tohru, your kimono…" she said.

I examined my sleeves and the lower portions of the kimono which were covered in dirt.

"I accidentally fell earlier," I told her.

"We should get you cleaned up," she said as she came over to help me off the patio.

"Ok," I replied.

I was slowly and carefully making my way off of the patio with Kumo-san in my arms. When I landed, a sudden pain around my lower hip forced me to yell uncontrollably. Kumo-san's ears rose.

"AHH!" I yelled.

Instantly Momiji-kun jumped off of the patio and came over to me. He appeared on my right while Tomoe-san held my arm on my left.

"Tohru, are you ok?" he asked sadly.

"Yes, I'm fine. Watch," I released my arm from Tomoe-san's grip and tried to walk.

I instantly flew again.

"I think you need a hot spring treatment," Tomoe-san said half joking.

"Huh?" I replied.

"YES! YES! THE SPA HOUSE! LET'S GO! LET'S GO! IT'S GOING TO BE SOOOO MUCH FUN!" Momiji-kun jumped suddenly joyously.

"I don't think that's necessary," I said.

Momiji-kun's cheerful expression faded into a disappointed one. "Why?" he asked sadly.

"I don't I just don't want Tomoe-san to go through the trouble…and Akito-san said that I am to stay within the estate walls," I answered.

Momiji-kun chuckled. "Tohru, you're so silly. The spa house _is_ in the estate," he told me.

"Yes, Miss Tohru, its no trouble. Let's go," Tomoe-san added.

"YAY! Can I go too?" Momiji-kun asked hopefully.

"Of course," I answered with an assuring smile.

"YAY!" Momiji-kun jumped up and down excitedly.

"But you'll have to bathe in the male section," Tomoe-san told him.

"Aw, but I want to be with Tohru!" he whined.

"But _you_ are a man," Tomoe-san argued.

Tears waterfalled out of Momiji-kun's beautiful brown eyes rapidly. "BUT I WANNA BE WITH TOHRU!" he whined.

I grabbed his hand with mine. He stopped and stared at me with his glistening wet eyes. I smiled.

"Its ok, Momiji-kun is only a child, its fine," I told Tomoe-san.

"But---" Tomoe-san began.

I gave her a reassuring nodded that silenced her. She shrugged and unwillingly led us to our destination. Momiji-kun jumped from joy. We were all at the spa house shortly afterward. (Tomoe-san left to bring Kumo-san back to some where more "safe" for a rabbit.) I was bathing in the spring while Momiji-kun swam around happily. I giggled at the amusing sight before me.

"TOHRU, LOOK! I'M A FISH!" he called from across the spring.

Momiji-kun made a cute, puffy face. I laughed as he swam over to me.

"That was a great imitation Momiji-kun!" I complimented.

"REALLY! YOU THINK SO?" he asked excitedly.

I nodded and we both laughed. Suddenly, the door (I think) crashed against something and made a big noise. Momiji-kun and I turned our heads to find three black figures at the door behind the screen that separated us from them. The figures moved toward us. Frightened, Momiji-kun grabbed my right arm and hid behind me with his eyes poking out on my right side. Then, the figure in the middle grabbed onto the screen and threw it to their right. The screen crashed onto a rock nearby and shattered. I look up to find Akito-san's angry eyes with Hatori-san turned to the side and Shii-chan's curious stare. Frightened, I was silent.

"WHAT---ARE---YOU---DOING!" Akito-san asked slowly as anger built in his voice.

"I…I…" I mumbled.

Akito-san shifted his glare to the frightened Momiji-kun behind me. Momiji-kun instantly buried the rest of his body, excluding his head, into the warm water.

"It's not his fault!" I jerked instantly.

Akito-san silently returned his glare to me. He then slowly kneeled down in front of me. He grabbed onto my face. We all waited to see what he'll do next. I shivered as Momiji-kun released my arm. We wait…I wait. Akito-san raised his other arm as if he was ready to strike me. I held my shivering body still as I waited for my punishment.

I understand why Akito-san is angry. I am, after all, bathing with a male even if Momiji-kun is only a child. I am scared, yes, but I knew I deserved it. Well, at least in Akito-san's eyes. I wait…

After for what seemed like forever, I finally looked up. Akito-san was frozen with Hatori-san's right hand on one should and Shii-chan's on the other. However, I knew that they were not the ones that were keeping him from what he had intended to do. It was as if his mind and heart were debating on whether to strike or not. Our eyes met and we both were still. Then, surprisingly, Akito-san slowly lowered his arm. The two familiar adults behind him removed their hands and took a step or two backward. Akito-san pulled off a long overcoat that he had on and wrapped it around me. Instantly, I was pulled out of the water and thrown on top Akito-san's arms with my dripping wet legs dangling on his right side. He started to walk away. I looked back at Momiji-kun, who (for some odd reason) was waving happily with a huge smile on his face.

"BYE TOHRU! TODAY WAS FUN! LET'S PLAY AGAIN SOMETIME, K?" he called after me cheerfully.

It bizarre how Momiji-kun seems to be unfazed by what had just happened; it's almost like he had forgotten it all. Momiji-kun seems to be a very optimistic person. I'm happy to have befriended such a kind and pure hearted person.

I smiled as Akito-san took motion toward the door, leaving Hatori-san, Shii-chan, and Momiji-kun behind. I was taken back to Akito-san room, where he summoned for Tomoe-san to bring me a fresh kimono. I sat on his bed with nothing but his over coat on. There was a long silence.

"Akito-san," I finally dared to say. He turned around. "What?"

"Are you angry?" I asked nervously.

"How would you feel if you saw me with another woman?" he asked coldly.

"I---" I didn't know how to reply to this so I stupidly answered, "I…I guess it'll be ok."

"What! SO YOU THINK IT'S FINE TO SEE ME NAKED WITH ANOTHER WOMAN!" Akito-san yelled.

"If Akito-san wants another…_woman_…I won't mind because…well…that's what Akito-san wants," I said with a shaking voice.

It wasn't really how I felt. I realized this after it was too late. If Akito-san were to be with another woman, I think my heart will shatter into billions of pieces…but how, how can I tell him this? It sounds like something only an idiot will say. He will laugh at me if I told him…and maybe, he won't care about me anymore if he knew that I would be jealous of his "other woman". I was silent.

"WHAT KINDA PERSON ARE YOU? YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT! WHO WOULD WANT THEIR HUS---" Akito-san paused seeming to be disputing in his mind on whether he should continue this apparently pointless conversation.

He turned around with no intention to finish his previous statement. I got up and walked over to him. I nervously reached for his right arm. I grabbed onto it with both of my hands. Tear appeared. Akito-san didn't budge.

"It would break my heart if you were to choose another, but it would hurt me even more if Akito-san were to never care about me anymore. I am to only do what pleases you and if you want another in your life, I can do nothing but to accept your decision. I want you to care about me…I want you to continue to hold and protect me the way you do…And if I say 'no' I'm afraid that Akito-san will leave me…all alone like my parents did. I…don't…want…that," I began to cry heavily at the thought of being alone again.

Akito-san turned around. My head landed comfortably onto his chest. I released his arm and rested my two palms on either side of my head, against his chest.

"Please…don't leave me by myself…Please," I whispered not knowing if he had heard me.

Akito-san did not embrace me; he only ran his fingers through my hair as he stared into the orange-red sky outside. Something was bothering Akito-san. I can feel it. I removed my head from his chest and looked up at his concerned expression with my wet eyes. He turned his head slowly and looked down at me with his attractive violet ones.

"Is something bothering you Akito-san?" I asked.

He was twisting a stand of my hair in between his fingers. He looked at me and then at the setting sun. After a few moments, he finally spoke with his stare still upon the setting sun, "Stay here with me tonight."

I nodded almost unwillingly because that reply was not the one that I had hoped for.

The next morning, when I woke up, Akito-san was already gone. I saw my new kimono and quickly got dressed. I jerked the slide doors open and peeked into the hallway. Empty.

"Tomoe-san!" I called. No one answered.

I decided to roam the estate. To my surprise, it was empty. Then, when I was near the front gates, I hear a bunch of rumbling noises from the other side. I pulled one of the two doors open and peeked outside. There were two cars, one had people loading things into it and the other was parked. Beside the parked car stood Shii-chan, Hatori-san, and Akito-san. I walked pass the door and over to Akito-san.

"Akito-san?" I said softly. He turned around. "What's going on?"

He took in a light breath. "I'm sending you to live with Shigure," he said simply.

My eyes widened. "Did I do something that angered you?" I asked sadly.

The tone of my voice seemed to have caused some sort of mixed emotion within him. He hesitated.

"Oh, no, no, my---" Akito-san glared at Shii-chan, "I meant, Akito's beloved Tohru-chan. Its bad luck for the bride to see the groom before the wedding. That's all."

"Really?" I replied knowing that there was more to this sudden move.

He nodded assuring me that that was all. Shii-chan then nudged Hatori-san who stepped forward.

"Yes, Honda-san, I think its best if you spent the next month before the wedding at Shigure's…away from the estate," he added.

"Oh," I replied disappointedly and looked over to Akito-san hoping that he'll change his mind.

He looked at me and than at the movers. "They're almost done, go get ready," he said coldly ignoring my pleading eyes.

I was upset to hear this from Akito-san. It felt as if he didn't want me anymore. I slowly walked toward Tomoe-san who appeared behind Akito-san just a moment ago, and went off back to my room. I changed into a more convenient outfit consisted of a simple white button down top and a mid-thigh pink skirt with a pair of white flats. I clipped my hair back with a pink clip and placed Kumo-san into a carrier. As I exited the estate for the second time, I caught Shii-chan's admiring stare.

"My, my, what a beauty you are, Miss Tohru-chan, in _and _out of a kimono!" Shii-chan complimented (I think).

"Oh...um…thank you, Shii-chan," I replied shyly lacking a better response.

"Its time," Hatori-san interrupted the awkward silence that followed.

"Yes, Miss Tohru, you should get going," Tomoe-san added.

"You're not going with me, Tomoe-san?" I asked sadly.

"No," Tomoe-san answered softly, "Unfortunately, I have to stay here, but I promise I'll visit whenever I can!"

I nodded unwillingly as a chauffeur opened the car door. As I was about to enter the car, I paused and turned around. Akito-san was watching me from a short distance. I placed the carrier into the car and walked over to Akito-san. I looked up at him and he too looked down at me. I smiled.

"I'll miss you Akito-san, "I said trying my best to sound cheerfully.

Akito-san leaned downward and lightly kissed me on my forehead with his right hand cupped against my left cheek. I blushed.

"Good-bye," I forced myself to say.

He turned to Shii-chan who (I must admit) had a creepy smile that took over half of his face. "Don't do anything you'll regret," Akito-san threatened.

Shii-chan laughed lightly with his right hand flapping jokingly in front of his chin. "Now, what is world do you mean by _ideas_? I'm so disappointed to hear those nasty worlds coming for you, of all people, my dearest Akito-sama," Shii-chan joked.

Shii-chan laughed until Akito-san shot him an "I-Mean-It" look. Instantly, he stopped. Shii-chan came over to me and grabbed my wrist. "No worries! I will take very good care of her, after all, how can I harm such a pretty face?" he looked at me with one of his usual smiles. "Come along now, Tohru-chan, I have a room ready just for _you_. Put together with all of my _love _for you, beautiful flower."

(I didn't understand what he was talking about.)

Akito-san made a soft grunting noise that only amused Shii-chan. Shii-chan escorted me back to the open car door. He gestured for me to enter. I hesitated and turned my head only to see Akito-san. (Everyone seemed to have disappeared, at least in my eyes.) A light breeze pushed from behind me toward him. It made his hair restless for a second or two. I smiled; Akito-san is so handsome, I thought. I blushed. He didn't react to me. I took in a deep breath and entered the car. Shii-chan got in from the other side and sat beside me, next to the carrier with Kumo-san in it. The driver got in a little afterward and the car took motion. I got up and looked back to find Hatori-san standing with his hands in his pocket and Akito-san beside him watching us depart. Tomoe-san was waving. I felt a light tap on my knee. Shii-chan smiled at me.

"You'll see him again, don't worry," he said in a very serious tone.

It's awkward because I've never seen Shii-chan this serious before. In fact, it felt kind of uncomfortable. I smiled and returned my body to its original position.

"Shii-chan," I began, "Why does Akito-san want me to live with you?"

He laughed, "He doesn't, but rules are rules. Its bad luck for the bride and the groom to see---"

"No, the real reason," I interrupted.

A mysterious smile appeared on Shii-chan's face. "Akito does not have to nor does he ever explain his actions to anyone. So why do you think _I_ would know?"

"Because…I feel that you would know. I feel that Hatori-san would too," I told him.

He chuckled a bit. "Then I'm sorry to say that you've mistaken," he replied cheerfully.

I knew that no matter what he wouldn't tell me so I gave up. "I see," I replied sadly.

The rest of the ride there was quiet. When we arrived at Shii-chan's house, I was somewhat reluctant to exit the car. Somehow, this felt terribly wrong. I felt abandoned…unwanted…forgotten… But after being encouraged by Shii-chan's smile. I forced my body out of the car. I stood still, by the car, as I examined my new home. It was a two-story, traditional home in the middle of some sort of forest on a beautiful hill. It was inviting and peaceful here. I liked it, but of course, I already miss the estate. I didn't miss it because of its luxuries, but instead, its inhabitants. To be more specific, I missed a specific _one_ of its inhabitants. My stare slowly fell to the grassy land beneath my clean, white flats.

Shii-chan noticed my unhappiness. "You'll be fine Tohru-chan. It's only temporary until the wedding," he comforted me, "Besides, I'm a very _well behaved_ man." He laughed expecting me to join him.

"Yes, I guess so," I replied simply with an obvious sadness in my tone.

I sighed and reached into the car for Kumo-san. I placed the carrier onto the ground and pulled him out. I held him in my arms as I gently stroked his soft back. I smiled for Kumo-san made me feel as if a part of _him_ was still with me. While Shii-chan assisted the movers with my seemingly endless amount of stuff, I watched from a distance on a rock near by within the shade of a tree.

They said that it was temporary, but my heart tells me something else. For some odd reason, I get the feeling that this will be my home…not just for a short month, but longer…And there's something about this house that makes me excited and nervous at the same time…Little did I know…it is here where I'll meet yet another person, who will change my life forever…_again_…


	10. The Misunderstood

**Hidden From the World**

**By: .Cami.B.**

**Chapter 10: The Beginning of Something New**

AN: Hi everyone! It's been about a couple of months now. How is everyone? I, once again, apologize for the seemingly everlasting wait. My time has been overtaken by huge amounts of studying for both classes and the SAT/ACT. (If you don't know what they are, they're sort of like assessment tests that major colleges look at to determine whether or not you qualify to apply for their school.) Any who, enough blabbering from me; I'm pretty sure you're thinking, "Shut up and get to the story already!" (Hehe) so here it is! We left off with Tohru moving into Shigure's place and she foreshadowed an acquaintance that will (like her encounter with Akito), once again, change her life's path. Most of you guessed and everyone who guessed is correct. She does in fact bump into the lovable Kyo Sohma! Hehe. But as for how he changed her life's path, you'll have to wait and see. Ok, enough is enough. I'll leave you all to read Chapter 10. I hope you like it! Please leave a review if you have time! Thank you!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FRUITS BASKET!

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I was finishing up the dishes when Yuki-kun peeked into the kitchen to check on me.

"How are things going Honda-san? Do you need any help?" he asked politely.

I turned my head and gave him one of my assuring smiles. "No, I'm fine, but thank you for offering Yuki-kun!" I replied cheerfully.

Then, another familiar face appeared; Shii-chan's smiling face protrudes from behind Yuki-kun.

"Now Yuki-- how rude of you to interrupt dear Tohru-chan while she's at work?" Shii-chan joked playfully.

Yuki-kun shot Shii-chan a seemingly annoyed look. I couldn't help but giggle a bit.

"And telling her to do y_our _chores is very polite of you?" Yuki-kun replied with sarcasms.

Shii-chan, with ease, ignored Yuki-kun's comment. He came over to my side with both of his arms behind his back, body slightly bent forward, and curious eyes shifting from the cleaned dishes to me and then back again.

"Is something wrong Shii-chan?" I asked nervously.

Shii-chan returned his body to an upright position. He smiled. "Hm? Oh no, I just never thought that our dishes would ever be white again," he said in a joking way.

Amused, I smiled and looked over to Yuki-kun who was standing at the entrance with his arms loosely folded in front of him. He was definitely not amused by Shii-chan's comment; this made me a little nervous.

"Um…I'm almost done. Afterward, I'll start on dinner. What would you like to have Yuki-kun?" I asked trying to break the tension.

He thought for a minute and then finally smiled (slightly but still, he smiled). "I'm sure anything you make will be delicious Honda-san," he said as his eyes suddenly moved to the window behind me just above the sink.

"Is something wrong?" I asked turning my head to see what he was looking at.

His attention returned to me. "Oh, it's nothing important. Don't worry yourself, Honda-san," he turned to Shii-chan who was standing beside me with both hands comfortably tucked into their opposite sleeves, "I'll be back before dark."

Shii-chan smiled in his unique way and gestured for him to go. "Sure, sure, just don't do anything bad while you're away," he teased.

"Speak for yourself," Yuki-kun said coolly as he departed.

"Ok then, my beautiful flower, I will leave dinner up to you. Ta-ta," he said and slipped away before I could reply.

I smiled and began to examine the fridge for ingredients.

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**Flashback.**

_After the movers left, I was guided upstairs to my new bedroom by Shii-chan. My new room was on the second floor. I even had my own bathroom that came with it. I set Kumo-san's carrier onto the floor and then placed him in it. I examined the room. It was a big room with a huge king sized bed in one corner. Near the window, there was a desk with only a desk lamp and empty picture frames on it. In the middle of the room there was a low square table with a cushion neatly placed on each of the sides. My eyes shifted away from the table and stopped at a dresser behind it, against the wall parallel to the wall that the bed was against. My luggage and stuff was scatter all over the room. The room seemed crowded at the moment, but it definitely had a homey feel to it. I must admit, I liked it…a lot. _

_"Well, here we are my beautiful flower!" Shii-chan announced, "What do you think?"_

_"I love it. Thank you Shii-chan," I replied as I walked over to the bed and sat down._

_He laughed. "Anything for you my beauty," he said._

_I smiled (I was somewhat used to his "ways" by now) as Shii-chan examined the boxes in my room. _

_"Hm, you sure do have quite a bit of stuff," he commented._

_Embarrassed, I replied, "Oh, um, yes, I guess I do. Is that a problem?"_

_"Oh no, but we'll need a lot of time to unpack," he said cheerfully._

_I giggled. _

_"Let's get started then," he added as he reached for one of the box near by._

_I smiled and headed toward my luggage. I grabbed it and threw it onto the bed. I unzipped it and pulled out a dress. I was straightening it while Shii-chan opened his box. _

_"Where would you like these, Honda-san?" I heard him ask from behind me._

_I turned around and replied, "On the desk, thank you."_

_He nodded. As we both rambled through my seemingly endless amount of stuff, I heard a familiar voice._

_"I'm home!" it called._

_We both paused. An evil smile appeared on Shii-chan's face instantly. He seems to have an evil plan in mind._

"_Ah-ha! Help!" he jerked and slipped out of the room as quickly as possible._

_I followed him downstairs to find a familiar face at the entrance way. It was that same man at the estate. He is one of the Juunishi. He was removing his shoes when we reached the ground floor._

"_Welcome home, Yuki! You have such great timing!" Shii-chan greeted him._

_Without lifting his head, he replied, "What are you talking about?"_

"_Since you're back, you can help with the unpacking," Shii-chan informed him._

"_What are you talking---" he lifted his head and instantly silenced once he saw me._

_I smiled politely. "Hi…Yuki-kun," I began nervously, "I don't know if you remember me, but we've seen each other at the estate."_

_Yuki-kun looked from me to Shii-chan and back to me. "Yes, you are…Honda-san?" he replied._

_I nodded. "It's nice to see you again. I didn't think that we will see each other again so soon, but---" I was beginning to babble again. (It's so embarrassing!)_

_Shii-chan noticed my confusion and nervousness. He wrapped his right arm around me and rested his right hand comfortably onto my right shoulder. I blushed and froze. He smiled happily._

"_Yes, Tohru-chan here will be living with us from now on until further notice," he announced interrupting my blabbering._

"_What have you done this time Shigure?" Yuki-kun asked without interest._

"_Oh, you know, a little bit of this and that…Making new life, typical stuff like that," he joked._

_My eyes widened dramatically as I turned my head to look up at Shii-chan smiling expression. Yuki-kun looked at me and then he shifted his eyes down toward my waist area. I instantly jerked my hands to cover my stomach. I blushed._

"_Idiot," Yuki-kun said coldly to Shii-chan._

"_Now, now, is that any way to speak to the person who took you in?" Shii-chan asked teasingly. _

_Yuki-kun didn't reply. Instead, he removed his coat. Shii-chan's arm released me and it was very relieving for me. I smiled and bowed._

"_Hi, Yuki-kun, I will be living here with Shii-chan for the next month or two. Since you live here too, I hope that we can be friends. I want to know everything about you and Shii-chan!" I said cheerfully._

_The confused/shocked expression on his face confused me. _

"_Yuki-kun?" I called._

_His mind seemed to have returned from where ever it had dozed off too. "Yes?" he replied._

"_Is it ok if we became friends?" I asked cheerfully._

_He smiled slightly accepting my offer. I smiled back._

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So there you have it! For the past couple of weeks, I have resided here at Shii-chan's house. Since I am not attending school like Yuki-kun, I had a lot of spare time on my hands. As a result, I talked Shii-chan into letting me do the house work in exchange for my room. Shii-chan gladly accepted, but Yuki-kun was somewhat reluctant about the idea at first.

I turned my head and glanced over at the clock on the wall behind me. It read 3:56.

"Hm, it's too early to start on dinner. I wouldn't want the food to be cold when Yuki-kun returns. I guess I'll just start on it later," I thought to myself, "Meanwhile, what can I do?"

I exited the kitchen and into the living room.

"Spick and span, no cleaning needed here," I thought and headed to Shii-chan's office.

"Clean," I thought and moved onto Shii-chan's and then Yuki-kun's room.

"Both rooms are spotless, what else can I do? Laundry?" I asked myself as I looked over at the empty dirty laundry basket in Yuki-kun's room, "Guess not."

I walked down the hall to my room and laid onto the bed with my arms stretched out on either side of me. I took in a deep breathe. Before I knew it, I was slowly falling asleep…

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**Flashback. **

"_Akito-san, what does it feels like to be loved?" I asked curiously as I took another bite of my piece of cake._

_He looked up at me with a confused expression on his face._

"_You know, like being loved by your parents. Akito-san, where are your parents?" I asked._

_He set his fork onto the table and rested his hand beside it. "I don't have any," he said simply._

_Surprised, I replied, "But everyone has parents."_

"_Not me," he said._

"_What happened? Are they in a far away place too?" I asked._

"_I don't want to talk about it," he said almost sadly._

"_Hm? Why not? I'm sure your parents loved you too. I bet your daddy loved you a lot…and your mommy too. Your mommy must be really really nice---" Akito-san slammed his two hands violently onto the table and it hushed me._

_I was frightened; I sat still silently. He looked at me with angry eyes. _

"_YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT MY PARENTS! I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THEM! I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THEM! SHUT UP!" he yelled._

_After a short moment of heavy breathing from Akito-san, I finally swallowed up the other questions that I had and said, "Yes…Akito-san…"_

_My stare sank from Akito-san's face to the sliced birthday cake in between us that originally read, "Happy 10th Birthday Akito!!!" _

**End of Flashback.**

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"Honda-san?" I heard Yuki-kun's voice call.

I pushed my eyes open; I saw a blurry face topped with silver hair hovering over me.

"Are you alright?" Yuki-kun asked.

His face began to take shape. As I sat up, he moved backward.

"Yes?" I asked sleepily.

"Are you alright?" he repeated.

"Um…yes, I was just a little tired, that's all. Is there a problem?" I replied sleepily.

"Oh no, but when Shigure and I came home you were no where to be found and dinner was not on the table. We figured that something was wrong since this is not like you at all," he explained.

Instantly I jerked my body up, "OH NO! I FORGOT ABOUT DINNER! WHAT TIME IS IT?" I gasped.

Yuki-kun smiled slightly. "Don't worry Honda-san, it's only about five o'clock. You're not that late," he assured me.

I let out a light sigh of relief. "Well then, I will start immediately!" I exclaimed energetically.

Yuki-kun smiled once again. "I'll help," he offered.

"Ok!" I smiled and headed to the door.

When I was by the doorway, it sudden hit me that I didn't know what to make. I decided to asked Yuki who was or was suppose to be following right behind me.

"Um, Yuki-kun, what would you---" I was interrupted by a loud crashing noise and dust that blinded my ability to see him.

I fanned the dusty air away from my face. Then I caught a glimpse of silver.

"Yuki---" I began but froze once I saw another presence in the room.

An orange-haired teenager about our age had broken through the roof and into my room. He seemed to be angry. I watched from behind this orange-haired teen; he doesn't seem to have noticed that I'm in the room.

"ALRIGHT RAT BOY! TODAY'S THE DAY THAT I'M GONNA KILL YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL!" the orange-haired boy exclaimed angrily.

My eyes widened. Yuki-kun was not the least bit fazed. He folded his arms in front of his chest and smirked.

"How many times have I heard that line before?" Yuki-kun said in disinterest.

"SHUT UP YOU STUPID RAT!!! I'M GOING TO BEAT YOU!" the orange-haired teen replied.

Suddenly, his right arm was up in the air; it slammed onto the table in between the two of them. The table scattered. The bits and pieces of the table flew in all directions; a piece fell toward me and scratched me on my face. I started to bleed, but I was so distracted that I didn't bother to deal with it. Before I knew it, the orange-haired teen's fist was in the air and it was heading toward Yuki-kun. Based on first instincts, I ran toward the orange-haired teen and try to stop him. But being the clutz that I am, I slipped on a piece of the broken table on the floor and fell forward. I caught a glimpse of the orange-haired teen's red-ish orange eyes just as my body crashed onto his and then a loud poof sounded the room; the room was now covered in orange smoke. When the smoke vanished an adorable orange cat was on my lap and I was sitting on the orange-haired teen's clothes. Frightened, I remained silent merely examining the animal. The cat looked up at me seeming to be annoyed. Instantly, Shii-chan's head appeared at the doorway.

"I heard a lot of commotion. Yuki, please don't tell its---" Shii-chan paused for a second when he saw the cat on my lap, "It is Kyo. Welcome back Kyo! It's been awhile now…what is it? Four months?"

"Kyo?" I repeated confusedly.

The cat jumped off of my lap and retrieved the orange-haired teen's clothes with its mouth. Then it pulled them toward a wall, away from me.

Shii-chan slipped the rest of his body into the room. "Yes, yes, that," Shii-chan gestured to the cat that was now alone in the corner of the room, "Is Kyo Sohma, the cat."

My stare shifted from Shii-chan to the cat whose name, I suppose, was Kyo. However, all I saw was the cat's back. "Um, hi…Kyo-kun…I'm Tohru Honda," I introduced myself.

The cat ignored me. Everybody was still and quiet for a short period of time.

"Please, ignore his rude behavior Honda-san," Yuki-kun said to me, "Stupid cats don't know any better."

"Oh, um…" I pondered for a correct response.

The angry cat turned around and started cursing at Yuki-kun, but Yuki-kun ignored him. He came over to me and gently outlined the cut on my face with his thumb.

"You're hurt Honda-san," he said in his usually gentle voice.

"Oh! I'm alright! Don't worry," I said and smiled, "See."

Yuki-kun smiled slightly. Shii-chan has somehow floated to where Kyo-kun was.

"Kyo, you should apologize," Shii-chan said.

"OH! He doesn't have to! I'm fine!" I exclaimed.

The cat hissed. Then another loud poof sounded and smoke appeared again. Before I knew it, a handsome, naked orange-haired teen stood before me. I jerked my entire body around immediately. I blushed.

"Um…" I struggled for the right words to say.

"Ha-ha," Shii-chan laughed, "Tohru-chan, my beautiful flower, would you excuse us."

I looked up at Shii-chan. Then a loud grumbling noise sounded the room. Shii-chan's familiar smile appeared on his face.

"When's dinner again?" he asked joyously.

I smiled. "I'll go start on it right away!" I exclaimed having forgotten about it. "What would you like?"

"Anything my beautiful flower makes will warm my heart, be loved by me, and satisfy every taste bud on my tongue," he said jokingly.

"Ok," I replied happily and exited the room as my glance shifted to Kyo-kun.

I was gathering ingredients when it hit me. "Is Kyo-kun staying for dinner? What would he like?" I asked myself.

I straightened out my apron and headed for the exit but before I left the kitchen, three familiar faces, one grinning, one content, and one…irritated, I suppose, appeared before me.

"Oh! Shii-chan, Yuki-kun, and…Kyo-kun! I was just about to ask if Kyo-kun will be having dinner with us," I informed them.

While grinning, Shii-chan replied, "Yes, beloved Tohru-chan, Kyo here will be spending the night."

A cheerful smile appeared on my face, "Ok then, I shall get started with dinner!" I exclaimed motivated now to do a good job.

I decided to make miso soup with a vegetarian dish, some fried fish, and rice. However, only Yuki-kun, Shii-chan, and I ate at the dinner table. Kyo-kun locked himself in his room. I wanted to see if he's alright but Yuki-kun insisted that he was fine and that he could take care of himself. After dinner, I started on the dishes and when I was done, I heated up some food that I had set aside for Kyo-kun. After hesitating for a little bit, I heated up the food and decided to bring it to Kyo-kun. I head upstairs and as I passed my room door, I noticed that there was light on in the other side. I opened the door to find Kyo-kun repairing my broken roof by patching the hole with some plastic material and duct tape. He looked down at me with a piece of tape in his mouth.

"Kyo-kun?" I called questioningly.

He finished his work and jumped off of the ladder. "It should keep the rain and wind out, but if you want a better job, you'll have to get a professional to do it," he said coldly.

I smiled. "Oh, no it's fine. Thank you," I replied cheerfully.

He looked at me as if I was an alien from outer space.

"Is something wrong with me?" I asked examining myself.

He didn't replied.

"Oh! Kyo-kun, you skipped dinner, so I thought you might be hungry. I reheated some food for you," I informed him.

His glance shifted from me to the tray in my hand. Without replying, once again, he folded the ladder up, tucked it under his right arm, and started toward me. He walked pass me and headed out into the hall.

"I don't want it," he said softly as he disappeared into a room down the hall.

Disappointed, I headed downstairs to the kitchen. I set the tray onto the counter by the refrigerator.

"What should I do?" I asked myself.

After a few moments of pandering, I finally decided to wrap up the food and place it into the refrigerator. I cleaned some dishes and headed upstairs. However, when I got to my room, I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned as images from the incident tonight ran through my head like a movie.

"Kyo Sohma-kun, who is he? He's the cat, like the one from the stories that mom use to tell me. I wonder…if he is sad like the cat in the story. And he doesn't seem to like Yuki-kun much. I wonder if it's because of the same reason as the one in the story," I started to think.

Suddenly, I heard noises coming from downstairs. I jerked my body upward. Frightened, I panicked.

"Is it a burglar?" I panicked.

I tip-toed out of the room and grabbed a stick (that I used for drying the laundry) perched against the hallway wall by the door that lead out to the patio on the way downstairs. The noise came from the kitchen. I peeked in and saw a figure in black. Without hesitating, I pulled the stick above my head; I swung at the figure. The figure yelled. His voice was familiar. It moved backyard a little and into the moonlight coming through the kitchen window. I dropped the stick in shock. It was Kyo-kun. He stared at me with a "what-are-you-doing" look and a pair of chopsticks in one of his hands.

"Ah! Kyo-kun! I'm so sorry! I thought you were a burglar!" I tried to explain nervously.

He bent down to pick up a piece of fish that had probably fallen out of his mouth when he yelled. He threw it into the garbage bin nearby and returned his attention to me.

"Do I look like a burglar to you?!" he jerked annoyed.

"Um…" I looked at his dark outfit consisted of a black t-shirt and a pair of forest green cargo pants.

He looked down at his outfit and then up. "Never mind," he said as he picked up another piece of fish with his chopstick.

I smiled. He looked at me with a weird expression on his face.

"What's that for?" he asked.

I only smiled.

"Idiot," he said.

I slightly tilted my head to the right examining the way he eats. Something about Kyo-kun reminded me of Akito-san. Oh wait, he called me an "idiot" just like Akito-san does. Maybe that's it. But any way, there's definitely something…something makes me feel really close to Kyo-kun, but we've only meet a few hours ago. I smiled as I stared at the figure before me…a person that might be…or I'm afraid will be…Akito-san's substitute…No…He can't be, but…but…why do I feel so _familiar_ to him. Kyo-kun is definitely not who I thought he would be…and probably who everyone thinks he is. After what I've seen tonight, I truly believe that Kyo-kun is merely misunderstood. There's a kind person in there somewhere and I want to find it. I don't know why…I don't know how, but I will. I want to get to know him just like I want to get to know Yuki-kun…for them…for me…for whatever it is that is telling me that these people are not who I think they are…They're more…much more. Like Kyo-kun, he's more…much more than another everyday encounter. I want to know…


	11. The Rat and the Cat

**Hidden From the World**

**By: .Cami.B.**

**Chapter 11: The Rat and the Cat**

AN: Hey everyone! I know by now you all must want to either bury me alive or duct tape me to a computer chair so I can finish this story asap, but please, give me another chance! First off, I would like to apologize to everyone for the latest of this update! Life has been hectic lately and I guess I placed writing on the back burner for too long. I recieved a seemingly endless amount of complaints, but I must admit, I deserved it. Anywho, if you don't hate me too much, please continue to read and review my chapters. Thank you all for being so loyal to this story and for being such greater readers! I love you all! Well everyone, I present to you (FINALLY) chapter 11 of Hidden From the World, titled "The Rat and the Cat". So Tohru has finally settled in, but the shy hard-headed Kyo-kun is still ignoring her. She sets out open him up and were does she end up? Read and see. Please review!! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of its lovable characters!

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A week later, I found myself enjoying life here at Shii-chan's house more and more. I enjoyed the company of Shii-chan and Yuki-kun. Kyo-kun still don't like to talk to me much, but its ok. At least he acknowledges my existance now. Anyway, when the family is out, I found myself cleaning, cooking, or reading. Today was no differnet. I carried the newly dried basket of laundry back inside. I headed down the hallway to my room. I set the basket beside the table in the center of the room. I sat down at the table beside the basket and started retrieving the pieces of clothing from it. I started to seperate and fold the laundry. The window was open and a warm breeze lifted the curtains. I watched as they bend and move gracefully to the breezes every force. The sun was high in the afternoon sky and I could see a sea of green under the calm sky. I slightly lifted my head allowing the warm breeze onto my face and neck. It was a good feeling. I smiled, took in a deep breath of fresh air, and continued onto folding Shii-chan's brown yukatas.

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**Flashback**

_Tomoe-san was hanging laundry when I ran up to her in the backyard. She saw me coming toward her. She kneeled down and opened up her arms. I ran up to her with a huge smile on my face and embraced her. She laughed._

_"Hi Tomoe-san!" I greeted her happily._

_"Hi there Miss Tohru! Good morning," he greeted me, "How are you doing this morning?"_

_"Good," I replied cheerfully,"Tomoe-san, where's Akito-san?"_

_She paused from what she was doing for second to think. "Hm," she began,"I remember someone telling me that Akito-san is having breakfast with one of the zodiacs this morning."_

_"Really? Who is is?" I asked curiously._

_"You know what?" she asked._

_"What?" I replied._

_"I have no idea," she finished with a smile._

_Disappointed, I let out a light sigh. _

_"Now now, don't be sad little Miss Tohru," Tomoe-san tried to comfort me. _

_I realized that I was making her sad, so I decided to cheer up for the both of our sakes. I smiled._

_"Ok, I won't be sad," I smiled, "What are you doing?"_

_Tomoe-san smiled at me. "Nothing much, just hanging up some laundry," she explained._

_"Can I help?" I asked excitedly._

_"I'm not sure how Master Akito-san will feel about it," Tomoe-san replied, "You know he doesn't like it when you get dirty."_

_"Its ok," I assured her, "I'll just clean up before I see him."_

_Tomoe-san hesitated. I leaned over the basket and pulled out a wet scarf. Istraightened it and handed it to Tomoe-san._

_"See, I can do it," I showed her. _

_She smiled. "Ok," she agreed, "Maybe you can help me, but just alittle. Akito-san will probably want to see you after his breakfast date."_

_I started removing pieces of clothing out of the basket. I laughed and Tomoe-san laughed with me. We were enjoying ourselves. I knew that Akito-san wouldn't like the idea of me doing laundry with a servant, but at that moment, he didn't cross my mind at all...for once..._

**End of Flashback**

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The clothes were all neatly folded and seperated into four piles. I took my pile and headed over to my dresser. I placed each piece into different drawers accordingly. Then I head back over to the table and placed each pile back into the basket neatly. I carried the basket to Shii-chan's room first and placed his pile carefully onto the bed. Then, I went over to Yuki-kun's room two doors down; I also placed his on his table like he had asked me too before. I exited Yuki-kun's room and walked a little further into Kyo-kun's room. To my surprise it was a mess! Unlike Yuki-kun's room, Kyo-kun had clothes and random objects everywhere. I set the basket onto a small spot of bare floor and starting cleaning his room. First, I grabbed all of the clothes on the ground and furniture and placed them in his empty dirty clothes basket. Then I started to pick up the knocked over picture frames, books, and other objects off the ground. I leaned over to retrieve an open book that had been left on pillow. It looks like Kyo-kun had been reading it last night. I turned the book over; the titled read "Master Kung-Fu".

"Hm, so this is what Kyo-kun likes," I thought to myself, "Kung-fu."

I placed the book on the desk with the other books that I found lying around. After cleaning up his room and making his bed, I placed his pile of laundry on the corner his mattress. I then noticed the thin layer of dust on his sidetable and decided that I needed to wipe down the furniture. I took the now empty basket with me as I made my way downstairs.

"GIVE IT TO ME! STOP HOGGING IT DUMB RAT BOY!" I heard Kyo-kun yelling.

"No," I heard Yuki-kun said simply.

I also heard Shii-chan laughing and the noises from the television downstairs in the living room. I slowly made my way into the living room. Shii-chan was the first one to notice me.

"Well, hi there my beautiful Tohru-chan," he greeted me.

Shii-chan's voice alerted both Kyo-kun and Yuki-kun. They both turned around to look at me together.

"Good afternoon Honda-san," Yuki-kun said first.

Kyo-kun didn't say anything but he lightly nodded at me. I smiled at the three of them.

"Good afternoon!" I greeted them, "Did you enjoy lunch?"

"Yes! It was delicious as always," Shii-chan replied seemingly satisfied with a toothpick in his mouth.

"Yes, very much, thank you Honda-san," Yuki-kun answered politely as always.

Shii-chan and Yuki-kun turned to Kyo-kun waiting for a reply from him. He did not answer and soon the room had an awkward silence to it. Shii-chan clonked Kyo-kun on the head. I gasped.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Kyo-kun jerked with one hand on his head.

"Don't be so rude Kyokunchi!" Shii-chan declared.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Kyo-kun replied angrily.

Shii-chan ignored him with a yawn. "Looks like its time for my afternoon nap," he announced as he stood up.

"Ok," I replied, "If you need anything Shii-chan just call."

He shot a smile at me. "Yes, yes, of course my flower," he replied as he made his way up toward the stairs.

"Stupid cat," Yuki-kun murmured suddenly.

My attention returned to Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun.

"WHAT?!" Kyo-kun yelled, "SAY THAT AGAIN RAT BOY AND I'LL PUMMEL YOU TO BITS!"

"Good luck with that you worthless cat," Yuki-kun replied calmly.

"WHY YOU LITTLE!!" Kyo-kun yelled as he swung a kick at Yuki-kun.

I ran inbetween the two and Kyo-kun almost kicked me, but luckily he stopped in time. Kyo-kun took in a deep breath while Yuki-kun took in a sip of tea.

"Kyo-kun, please don't fight," I begged sadly.

He looked at me and then at Yuki-kun. He punched a screen door near by and broke it. Everyone either stood or sat in the room...frozen...still...quiet. I was afraid. The phone rang and its ringing sounded the entire house. I headed over to pick up, but Shii-chan had beat me to it. He was on the phone smiling, but with whom?

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**Flashback**

_Tomoe-san took every piece of laundry that I had handed her with a smile on her face. _

_"Can I try hanging it?" I asked hopefully._

_"I'm sorry Miss Tohru, but I don't think you're tall enough," she answered._

_"Can you make it lower?" I asked._

_She pondered. "I suppose I can," she said as she reached for the two ends of the bar and lowered it to a height where I could reach._

_I smiled. "Thank you," I said as I reached over to hang my first piece of laundry. I smiled and Tomoe-san did too. _

_"TOMOE!!!" a lady's voice yelled._

_It was a older servant. She came running toward Tomoe-san and me._

_"Tomoe! I need you to help the Mistress for me!" the older lady declared, "Come with me."_

_Tomoe-san was pulled away. "Miss Tohru, don't do anything until I return ok?" she called out._

_I smiled. "Ok," I replied. _

_Before I knew it Tomoe-san was gone. I stood there in the now empty yard. I looked down at the almost empty basket. "I could finish this for Tomoe-san so she can take a break later," I thought. So I began hang up the laundry all by myself. Piece after piece, soon I found my kimono damp and dirty, but I didn't care. I finished and admired my work silently. I was happy to have been able to help Tomoe-san. I smiled._

_"WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU IDIOT?!!!" I heard a familiar voice yelled from behind me. _

_I turned around to find a brown haired teen beside the furious Akito-san._

_"Ak...Akito-san..." my voice quivered. _

_He stormed over to me and grabbed my wrist. "What do you think you're doing!?" he asked angrily._

_"I...I just wanted to help Tomoe-san do her work while she was gone," I answered afraid._

_"She is a servant. Its her job! NOT YOURS!" he said pulling me away with him._

_"But...Akito-san...Tomoe-san told met to wait for her here," I told him._

_"SHUT UP YOU'RE NOT EVER TO DO WHAT A SERVANT DOES! YOU HEAR ME!" he yelled._

_Tears came to my eyes. The brown haired teen stay in the yard and I caught him watching us leave. I didn't know who he was, but I later found out that he had stayed to tell Tomoe-san my where-abouts so she wouldn't worry. I never saw him again, so I never got the chance to thank him. _

**End of Flashback**

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"Hello?" he answered.

"Oh, yes, yes," he said, "He's here."

"Sure you can," Shii-chan answered, "Under one condition."

"Please don't break my house," he begged, "Its already been damaged enough."

"Ok then, see you later," Shii-chan smiled.

He hung up. He noticed me standing at the end of the entrance way. He smiled at me.

"Shii-chan, who was on the phone?" I asked.

"Oh, nobody important," he answered, "Just a relative who said she'll be coming to visit tomorrow."

"Really?! We're going to have company? That's great! I need to think about what I'm going to make!" I jerked happily, "What does she like?"

Shii-chan laughed, but I did not understand why. "Its alright. Take it easy my fragile little flower. You don't need to be so worried," he told me, "I get the feeling she'll be too busy to eat anything you make anyway."

"Huh?" I replied confused.

"You'll see," Shii-chan answered, "Well, off to take my nap wake me up when dinner's ready."

Shii-chan disappeared up the stairs before I was able to get another word in. I sighed. "What should I make?" I asked myself as I made my way into the living room again.

Kyo-kun was gone, but Yuki-kun was still watching tv when I came back.

"Yuki-kun," I called, "Where is Kyo-kun? Is he alright?"

"He'll be fine, Honda-san," he answered, "He's just a stupid cat that's rude and inconsiderate. You need not worry yourself over him."

"Oh..but..ah.." I paused, "Yuki-kun, I think I'll go upstairs to finish some chores."

"I'll help you then," he got up and turned off the tv.

"No, no..." I said somewhat panicky, "Its ok. I'll do it myself. You don't have to help me."

Yuki-kun smiled at me. "It'll be my pleasure Honda-san, don't worry," he assured me.

"No, its not that...I...its my job," I told him.

"Shigure won't mind if that's what you're worried about," he explained.

"Its not that," I said in a soft voice.

Yuki-kun waited for me to continue, but I never did. He sighed.

"If you insist then Honda-san; I won't help, but if you need assistance please do tell me," he said.

I smiled and nodded. I ran up the stairs and I heard the tv turn on again. I examined each room on the way to Kyo-kun's. He wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Where can he be? I wonder if he's ok?" I thought.

THUMP. A noise came from the roof. I went downstairs and then outside. I found a ladder that was leaning against the side of the house.

"Hm, that wasn't there just a little while back," I thought.

I climbed the ladder which led me to the roof. To my surprise, I found Kyo-kun lying flat against the tiles on the roof staring at the sky above him.

"Kyo-kun?" I called.

My voice scared him. He turned his head to look at me.

"Why are you here?" I asked as I made my way up the roof to sit beside him.

"Because I want to be," he answered.

"Oh..." I said disappointedly, "I see."

He seemed to have felt guilty for making me sad. He grunted and added, "I like high places. Its the best place to be."

A slight smile appeared on my face. The two of us were watching the sun set. It was late in the afternoon and the sun finally started to set. It was beautiful.

"Kyo-kun, why don't you and Yuki-kun like each other?" I asked randomly.

"Because he's stupid," he said simply.

"Oh," I said disappointed again.

"Arrrgghhh," he jerked, "Why do you always do that? I hate it when you do that?! Its so annoying!"

I bit my lips trying not to allow tears to come to my eyes. I was afraid. "I'm sorry," I said.

"SEE! YOU'RE DOING IT AGAIN!" he yelled.

"I'm...I'm...Sorry," I quivered.

He let out a huge sigh and replied, "Why do you care so much about us?"

I looked up surprised. "Well, because you are apart of my family now," I said.

"What?" he replied with a surprised look on his face.

"You're my family now," I repeated.

"I HEARD YOU THE FIRST TIME YOU IDIOT!" he yelled.

"I'm..I'm..sorry..." I quivered.

"STOP THAT!" he yelled.

I looked at him confused.

"THAT GIRL STUFF! I HATEI IT. IT GIVE ME GOOSEBUMPS!" he told me.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I apologized.

He took in a deep breath and relaxed. "I never liked that damn rat," he began, "He was always so...rat boy."

I laughed.

"What's so funny?!" he asked.

"Oh, nothing," I told him, "Its just I've never seen you like this."

"Idiot," he said.

I smiled.

"Why are you smiling?! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSE TO BE SMILING!? I JUST CALLED YOU AN IDIOT!? ARE YOU RETARDED?" he stood up.

I was use to being called "idiot" but Kyo-kun did not know this. I guess being use to it annoyed him, but I know that he wasn't really annoyed. In fact, I think he's happy...to have finally found someone to talk to. I've never heard Kyo-kun say so much...especially not to me. We chatted and he told me many things that I had not known before. His life on the mountains and his sensei who from the word of Kyo-kun sounded like a wonderful person. Eventually, we got to the portion of his life that seems to overwhelm him for many years...Kyo-kun told me the story of "The Rat and the Cat"...We talked well into the night...I smiled and laughed at every word he said even if it wasn't funny, which annoyed him to death. Who would've known that Kyo-kun has so much too tell...


	12. The Boar

**Hidden From the World**

**By: .Cami.B.**

**Chapter 12: The Boar**

AN: Hi everyone! I know… I know you're all probably really mad or super annoyed with me by now. Let me say, I'm really sorry for the long wait for this chapter. It's been almost a year since I've updated and two since I started writing this story. I really didn't mean to take this long to update. I recently moved into a new chapter of my life and have just settled into college. I am on summer vacation at the moment, but I am also taking summer courses, so I do not have as much leisure time as you probably assume I'd have this time of year. I honestly was super busy this past year and never had time to write. Again, I'm very sorry. I would also like to apologize if this chapter is a little shaky and not as well written as the other chapters. The characters might be a little out of character because I haven't written for so long and it's been ages since I last watched/read any Fruits Basket so my memory of each character's personality might be off. Anyhow, we left off with Kyo and Tohru's roof scene. Let's recap what's happened so far:

Tohru has met of half of the Juunishis: Hatori, Shigure, Ayame, Yuki, Haru, and Momiji and she's met Kyo as well. Akito has grown from being very cold toward Tohru to a little more affectionate. Tohru and Akito are engaged to be wed in a month or so. However, right when Akito seems to be caring for Tohru a little more, Tohru is sent away to live with Shigure. Nobody would tell her why except "its bad luck for the bride to see the groom before the wedding" which Tohru knows is total bogus. Tohru starts life at Shigure's house and finds herself doing what she enjoys most: cooking/cleaning for the men there. I believe this is where we left off. Ok, with that said…here we go chapter 12!! Please review if you can! I need your advice now more than ever before! XP Thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fruits Basket characters in this story.

* * *

My day began as it usually did with the usually trip to the kitchen to start breakfast. Yuki-kun made his way down the stairs first as always. He was always the earliest riser among Shii-chan and Kyo-kun. I greeted him with a smile.

"Good morning Yuki-kun. How are you feeling this morning?" I asked joyously.

"Fine. Thank you for asking Honda-san," he replied with a warm smile, "Will breakfast be ready soon?"

"Oh! Yes, would you like to have breakfast now?" I asked wondering if he'd like to wait for Shii-chan and Kyo-kun.

"If it wouldn't be any trouble for you," he replied kindly.

"Oh! Of course not! I'll get your platter ready right now!" I hurried back into the kitchen.

"I'll help you," he insisted and followed me into the kitchen.

We were preparing everyone's breakfast when another set of footsteps alerted me. I peeked out to see whether it was Shii-chan or Kyo-kun. As expected, it was Kyo-kun; Shii-chan was usually the one that slept in on weekdays. Kyo-kun was stretching when he caught me looking at him. I smiled.

"Good morning Kyo-kun. Did you sleep well?" I asked joyously.

"It was alright," he replied coolly.

Yuki-kun slide out of the kitchen behind me and gave Kyo-kun an annoyed glare once he saw him. "You could be a little less rude to the person that made your meals you know, stupid cat."

"Oh no, they're going to fight again!" I thought.

Instantly I jumped in between the two and yelled, "Please don't fight!" It was as if it was reflexes to do so, but to my surprise, Kyo-kun had no intentions to fight Yuki-kun.

"I'm not going to fight him," Kyo-kun said simply as he stretched his other arm.

"Huh?" I was dumbfounded by Kyo-kun's ability to consume Yuki-kun's insult without throwing a fit about it. "Kyo-kun, are you ill?"

He looked over at me, "What?"

"I don't know. You just don't seem like yourself today," I added softly.

"I'm alright," he replied as he made his way down to the ground across the table from Yuki-kun.

Yuki-kun began eating his breakfast without saying another word to Kyo-kun. Kyo-kun looked up at me but did not say anything. I knew he wanted to say something because his mouth opened for speech for a second before hesitation stopped it. He paused as I watched cluelessly.

"Oh forget it, I'll go get it myself," he said to himself as he made his way up again.

"Huh?" I replied confused as he came toward me.

He slid past me and into the kitchen behind. He wanted breakfast! That's what he was hesitant to ask about. "OH! Kyo-kun, you wanted breakfast! I'll get it for you, please allow me!" I called to him.

"No, I got it. Is this orange plate here mine?" he called back.

"Um, yes," I answered watching from behind him.

"You made fish?" he asked seemingly amused.

"I thought you might like—" I paused, "Fish."

I assumed Kyo-kun liked fish simply because he was the Cat of the zodiac. I made a stupid assumption. Oh! How am I going to tell him that! Kyo-kun probably doesn't want to talk about him being 

the Cat. What should I do? As I hesitated for an appropriate explanation, Kyo-kun broke the awkward silence and regained my attention as he chewed on the piece of steamed fish. "Thanks, I like fish," he said simply as he ate off the orange plate.

Kyo-kun made his way out of the kitchen with his breakfast in hand and settled back where he was originally at the table across from Yuki-kun. I followed shortly afterward.

"Yuki-kun, do you like your breakfast? I'm sorry, I didn't know what you liked, so I guessed," I explained.

"No, Honda-san, this is delicious. I love it. Thank you very much for this delicious meal," he answered with his warm smile.

I returned his smile with my own.

"Where is your breakfast Honda-san?" he asked suddenly.

"Oh, I've already ate this morning when I got up," I answered cheerfully as I made my way down to the table between the two boys.

"Oh?" Yuki-kun's expression showed a hint of bewilderment. "Do you wake early in the morning to make us meals?"

"I am accustomed to waking up early, so don't worry," I replied.

My reply seemed to have relieved only half of the concerns Yuki-kun had, but he settled with my reply and continued enjoying his breakfast. Yuki-kun and I were conversing as Kyo-kun ease dropped when someone knocked on the front door.

"I wonder who that might be," I said aloud. "Please excuse me."

Yuki-kun gave me a consenting smile as I excused myself from the table and room. I pulled one of the sliding front doors aside to find only a light breeze and the debris it carried with it.

"Hello?" I said softly as I examined the empty yard. "Is someone there?"

No one answered, but as I was about to shut the door a glimpse of short dark brown hair caught my attention. The face of a young girl with shoulder length dark brown hair and eyes peeked out from behind a wall. She appeared shy, but she was very beautiful I thought. She looked a little older than me, but definitely not more than a couple of years.

"Hello," I greeted her politely.

Her body slowly revealed itself to me as she slowly made her way out from behind the wall. She was wearing a green dress and had on with it a brown teddy backpack. She looked shyly at me.

"Is Kyo-chan here?" her voice was soft and soothing.

I smiled. "Yes, he is," I answered cheerfully. "Please come in."

She followed me into the house. I guided her to the living room where I left Kyo-kun and Yuki-kun. I was not sure who this young girl is, but she seemed nice enough and something about her attracts me. We made our way into the living room and before I knew it, this girl pounced from behind me and toward Kyo-kun like a tiger attacking its prey. I stood in shock.

"OH! MY KYO-CHAN! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!? DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE ME AGAIN!" the girl yelled as she embraced Kyo-kun tightly.

Kyo-kun seemed annoyed by her embrace. He struggled to free himself as her hold on him tightened to a point where he appeared to no longer have the ability to breathe.

"KYO-CHAN, I MISSED YOU!" the girl continued yelling as he hold tightened on Kyo-kun.

"Ah, miss—" I hesitated realizing I didn't know her name. She noticed my hesitation.

She stopped tugging on Kyo-kun's seemingly lifeless body and looked over her shoulder at me. She examined me.

"Um, I think Kyo-kun is hurt. Maybe you should—" I was broken off by her sudden howling.

She burst into tears for an unknown reason.

"KYO-CHAN! HOW COULD YOU CHEAT ON ME?! WHY! WHY! WHY!" she repeated as she tugged Kyo-kun left and right.

"AH!!" I yelled as I approached her from behind.

She pounced from the ground and turned around to take a second look at me. "NO!!" she cried angrily.

This sudden change in mood caught me off guard. With one swift motion, Kyo-kun was thrown out into the garden, through the paper shade doors. I jumped from astonishment. She had a lot of strength for a girl of her age and figure.

"AH! KYO-KUN!" I yelled.

The girl chased after him and before I could react to all of this, she was swinging Kyo-kun around as if he was a lasso and she was his cowboy. Her constant swinging subsided to kicks and then to punches.

"AH! Kyo-kun is getting hurt! We should help!" I yelled as Kyo-kun flew from one side of the yard to the other in five second intervals.

Yuki-kun calmly took a sip of his tea which now sat comfortably in his hands for the table had been pounded to bits by the girl's amazing strength.

"Yuki-kun?" I was dumbfounded by his calmness in this situation.

The third set of footsteps echoed behind me and I knew who this last set belonged to, Shii-chan. He yawned as he entered the living room in his usual grey robe. I ran over to his side to inform him of the situation.

"Shii-chan! Kyo-kun is being attacked!" I explained worriedly.

"Huh?" he looked at me and then at the broken table and shade doors in front of him. He sighed.

"Shii-chan?" I examined his emotionless facial expression.

His attention went to the flying Kyo-kun and girl that was sending him flying outside. "She's early," he said simply to Yuki-kun.

Yuki-kun took another sip of his tea. "You invited her over?" Yuki-kun asked.

"Me? No way, she insisted to come over," Shii-chan said appearing to be joking.

Yuki-kun did not reply, but from his facial expression I could tell that he did not believe Shii-chan. I grew more and more nervous as Kyo-kun's screams echoed louder and louder into the room and the girl's strikes became harder and harder.

"Um, Shii-chan…Yuki-kun, should we do something to help Kyo-kun?" I asked nervously.

Shii-chan looked down at me and smiled. "Oh my beautiful flower, you don't need to worry yourself over little Kyonichi. Its how he _bonds_ with his fiancée," he smiled.

I was shocked. "Shii-chan did you saw fiancée?" I thought I misheard him, but I didn't.

Shii-chan reacted to my astonishment with a simple nod. "I wish they'd stop tearing my house down though," he sighed, "Young love, it's so destructive."

Suddenly, Kyo-kun freed himself from the girl's wild grasp and ran back into the room. He looked at me first and then at Shii-chan. "SHE'S NOT MY FIANCEE! SHE'S JUST CRAZY! THAT'S ALL CRAZY!"

The girl ran in after him and was ready to brutally punish him for his words it seemed when Shii-chan shot her a "that's-enough" look. Shii-chan looked at me for a second and then at Kyo-kun's angry face. Shii-chan smiled.

"Oh, but _everyone_ knows you two young love birds are engaged," he said jokingly.

"I NEVER SAID I LIKED HER! SHE'S CRAZY!" he argued.

"BUT KYO-CHAN! YOU SAID YOU'LL MARRY ME! _REMEMBER?!_" she leaned in to Kyo-kun and glared threateningly at him.

"WHAT?! That's because you threatened to kill me if I didn't say yes! You threatened me with a knife and we were only kids!" Kyo-kun argued as he slid away from the girl.

"A PROMISE IS A _PROMISE_!!" she leaped into the air and with fire burning in her eyes, she got a hold of Kyo-kun again.

"Ah! Please don't hurt Kyo-kun!" I called instinctively.

With a strong unbreakable grip on Kyo-kun, she turned to look at me. Her eyes were no longer filled with anger, but with sadness instead now. "Kyo-chan, do you like her? Is that why you don't like me anymore?" she asked sadly.

Kyo-kun looked at me. "WHAT!! NO!! I MEAN, LET GO!" he yelled.

The girl let go and amazing sat very still beside Kyo-kun and me. Shii-chan took advantage of this rare opportunity and made some introductions. I was glad.

"Well, now that you've broken everything possible in my house," Shii-chan teased, "Let me introduce you to _my_ fiancée."

Shii-chan's words obviously brought to her a sense of relief and a great amount of joy. Her spirit was lifted instantly. She reached over to hug Kyo-kun.

"But wait—" I cut off dumbfounded by the fact that Kyo-kun did not transform into a cat.

Shii-chan noticed. "Juunishis can embrace other juunishis from the opposite sex," he explained.

My eyes widened. "Juunishi? She's a juunishi?" I asked drawn.

Shii-chan smiled and nodded. "My lovely Tohru, this is Kagura Sohma. Kagura this is my lovely Tohru Honda-chan."

Kagura-san looked at me and smiled. I bowed and greeted her by her name for the first time. "It's nice to meet you Sohma-san."

She giggled. "You can call me by my first name and it's nice to meet you too Tohru-san," she replied hugging Kyo-kun tighter now. "I'M SO HAPPY KYO-CHAN! YOU'RE NOT CHEATING ONE ME! YAY!"

There was a short silence before Kagura-san broke it. She froze as she examined me once more.

"Shii-chan, she's too pretty to be _your_ fiancée," she looked over at Yuki-kun, "She must be your fiancée Yuki-chan!"

Yuki-kun and I blushed simultaneously. Kyo-kun broke free from Kagura-san's grip. Annoyed, he commented, "She's too good for that stupid rat."

Yuki-kun ignored Kyo-kun.

"Now, now boys there's no need to fight over the beautiful Tohru-chan. We all know who she's madly in love with," Shii-chan smiled, "Me."

Kyo-kun and Yuki-kun replied in unison, "SHUT UP YOU OLD PERV!"

"What? Can't a man wish?" Shii-chan lightened the mood by asking for his breakfast. "My lovely Tohru-chan, do you happen to have breakfast for me too?" he said with a gentle voice.

"Oh! Yes! Of course," I headed to the kitchen, "With all of the commotion I almost forgot about it. I'm sorry."

I returned with a tray of a three course breakfast for Shii-chan. His eyes sparkled as he admired the beautifully decorated plates of food.

"Oh my Tohru-chan, I knew you were sent from the heavens to be my guardian angel," Shii-chan commented, "Come my angel, let me hold you close to thank you for your beautiful meal!"

"Um…" I blushed.

Before Shii-chan got to me, Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun got to him. Shii-chan was pinned to the ground by Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun's elbows.

"You're disgusting!" Kyo-kun declared.

"They should send you to jail for being a molester," Yuki-kun followed simply.

Kagura-san was also admiring the breakfast displayed in front of Shii-chan. "Did you really make all of this Tohru-san?" she asked in admiration.

I smiled warmly. "Yes, I did," I answered.

Sparkles appeared in her beautiful brown eyes. "Can you teach me how to cook? I want to be the perfect wife for Kyo-chan!" she exclaimed as she grabbed Kyo-kun back into her arms.

"FOR THE LAST TIME, I'M NOT GOING TO MARRY YOU!! LET GO!!" Kyo-kun yelled in between breaths.

"YOU WILL MARRY ME! AND WE WILL LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER!" she roared over Kyo-kun's struggling body.

"My dear Kagura, Tohru-chan's skills as a housewife is far beyond your reach. Maybe Kyonichi should marry Tohru-chan instead," he joked.

I blushed as Yuki-kun let out a light sigh seeming to be the foreshadowing of some disaster. Kagura-san jumped up leaving Kyo-kun's body to fall to the ground.

"NO! I will learn to be a good wife! You'll see!" she was very determined. "Kyo-chan, give me your clothes, I will wash them for you."

She began to tug on his clothes as he tried to stop her. "WHAT?! ARE YOU CRAZY?" he howled at her.

"Come on Kyo-chan! Take them off, I can't wash them if you don't take them off!" she replied even more determined than ever.

Kyo-kun got up and ran for it. Kagura-san pulled off his black t-shirt right before he landed in the garden.

"Kyo-kun, come on!" she called after him.

I smiled as I watched the two outside. As bizarre as their relationship may seem, Kagura-san seems to love Kyo-kun very much and I'm happy for Kyo-kun and Kagura-san. Kagura-san is also a juunishi. I wonder which juunishi she is. Let's see, she very outgoing and has incredible strength. Maybe she is the Tiger? Shii-chan finished his breakfast and smiled at me.

"That was delicious my beautiful flower," he complimented, "Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me I'd like to go work on some things."

"Ok," I replied, "Will you be going out?"

Shii-chan nodded. "Yes, but I will be back for dinner."

I smiled. "Ok, then I'll have dinner ready," I promised.

"Great. See you later my fantasy come true," he said as he disappeared around the corner.

My attention was now on the standing Yuki-kun.

"Do you have somewhere to go too Yuki-kun?" I asked.

"Oh, yes, I have to go to school," he answered.

"School?" I mumbled as I examined his outfit.

Yuki-kun was wearing his school uniform this entire time and I did not notice it at all.

"Oh! Right school!" I exclaimed.

Yuki-kun smiled. "Did you go to school too before Honda-san?" he asked out of curiosity.

"School? No. I wasn't allowed to go to school," I answered sadly.

"I see," he replied, "I had expected that you didn't."

"Huh? Why?" I asked.

"You're from the main estate and if you weren't a servant, you must've had a private teacher," he assumed.

"Yes, I did, but not anymore," I answered sadly remembering the times when I would attend private lesson alongside Akito-san.

"I see," Yuki-kun said with a reassuring smiled. "Well, I'm off. Thank you again for the delicious meal Honda-san."

"You're welcome," I replied as I cleaned up all of the broken and unbroken dishes.

Yuki-kun disappeared. Kyo-kun and Kagura-san's voices faded as they ran deeper and deeper into the forest. I was alone. It was quiet for a second. It was very quite.

* * *

**Flashback.**

_Akito-san sat very still. He appeared to be annoyed by today's lesson and by our new teacher. He didn't want to be there nor did he like our teacher much. I sat quietly beside Akito-san as Mr. Okowa lectured us on proper sentence structure in formal writing. _

_"Akito," Mr. Okowa paused noticing Akito-san's attention was elsewhere. "Akito Sohma!"_

_Mr. Okowa was a new teacher that was hired just yesterday because our previous teacher Miss Ashiyora resigned. She too was new when the previous teacher before her resigned. Akito-san is not the type of person that likes to be told what to do and as a result we've went through countless teachers. Mr. Okowa is a renowned teacher in Japan who was teacher to many children from prestigious families. He was use to children like Akito-san and believes he can control him. _

_Mr. Okowa grew impatient. He folded his arms in front of his chest and waited for a reply. As expected Akito-san did not reply._

_"Mr. Akito Sohma, I am talking to you," he announced as if it wasn't already obvious._

_Akito-san glared at what appeared to him as a pesky old fool. He rose from his desk and headed for the door. "The lesson is over. I'm tired," he said simply._

_"The lesson is not over until I say it's over. I am the teacher!" Mr. Okowa exclaimed._

_"Then you're fired," Akito-san said as he disappeared into the hallway._

_Mr. Okowa was dumbfounded. I struggled as I decided who to tend to first. I rose and looked at Mr. Okowa. I bowed politely._

_"Please forgive Akito-san's behavior. I'm sure he didn't mean to be rude," I assured him._

_He smiled at me. "Tohru you are a bright child and I am not disappointed because of him, but because I can no longer teach you."_

_I was caught off guard and did not know what to say. I was honored._

_"Go tend to him," he ordered._

_"Yes, sir," I bowed and exited the room chasing after Akito-san._

_I caught up with Akito-san who appeared to be annoyed by my presence, but I was determined to get him to let Mr. Okowa stay._

_"Akito-san, Mr. Okowa is a great teacher and I—" I broke off._

_"He's annoying," he interrupted, "I am God. He's not worthy to teach me and you are in no place to question my authority!"_

_My immense amount of determination was flushed away instantly and an overwhelming amount of disappointment took its place. My expression illustrated the disappointment that was growing in me. Akito-san looked at me for a second._

_"Why do you look that way? You're ugly. Stop looking like that," he demanded._

_With everything that was yet to be overwhelmed by the disappointment that grew in me, I smiled. Akito-san let out a big humph and started walking again. I followed silently like God's servant should without questioning where he was going or what he was going to do. I followed silently. _

**End of Flashback.**

* * *

Kagura-san's voice sounded the house once again and brought me back to reality. She peaked into the kitchen with a bright smile on her face.

"Tohru-san," she called.

"Yes, Kagura-san."

She appeared hesitant, but managed to ask, "Do you think you can teach me to be a good wife?"

I blushed. "But I am not a wife. How can I teach you to be a _good_ one if I am not even a regular one?" I questioned my own abilities.

"Of course you are a good wife! You can cook, clean, and do wife stuff!" she declared. "Please Tohru-chan."

She pleaded with passion in her eyes. She was determined and nothing I can say will break it. I smiled warmly. "I'll try my best!"

Joy overcame her instantly. "I'll start with laundry!" she announced as she swung what appeared to be Kyo-kun's black t-shirt and green cargo pants in the air.

"Ok," I smiled as I guided her to the small laundry room down the hall beside the kitchen on the ground floor.

Excitement overcame her as she stared admiringly at the two white laundry machines in front of us. I was showing her how to start a load of laundry in the washer when I realized that I had to do Shii-chan and Yuki-kun's laundry as well.

"Kagura-san, I have to get Shii-chan and Yuki-kun's laundry, please excuse me," I excused myself from her presence.

I headed upstairs and retrieved Yuki-kun and Shii-chan's laundry hampers. I was tugging them down the stairs when Kagura-san appeared joyously in front of the stairway.

"Do you need help Tohru-san?" she asked cheerfully. "I'm done with Kyo-chan's laundry."

"Great! I will leave these in the laundry room and we can go grocery shopping," I smiled.

"YAY!" she exclaimed in excitement.

I set the two hampers into the laundry room beside the washer and met up with Kagura-san in the house's entry way. She wore a big smile on her flawless face and seemed thrilled to see me. I greeted her and she returned my greeting with that of her own. We both pulled on our shoes and coats.

"Wait!" I suddenly realized, "Kagura-san where is Kyo-kun?"

She smiled. "He said he'll be back for dinner," she informed.

"Oh," I said softly, "Ok then we'll have to make a delicious dinner for Shii-chan, Yuki-kun, and Kyo-kun when they get back!"

"Yes!" she replied.

Kagura-san and I walked into the city to a grocery store near by. Kagura-san and I talked about a lot of things, most of which was about Kyo-kun, but I didn't mind. In fact, I enjoyed discovering more and more about Kyo-kun. Kagura-san told me that they fell in love when they were young children and that it didn't bother her that Kyo-kun was two years younger than her. She said that she had decided to marry Kyo-kun since before she can remember. We talked, walked, and shopped our afternoon away. We returned home with a lot more than mere groceries, though we did have a lot of it. Kagura-san was so thrilled to shop that she'd insisted we stop by every store we passed by. She purchased several new outfits and a collection of accessories for both herself and Kyo-kun.

We arrived at the house around two o'clock in the afternoon. I was shocked by house quickly time flew by, but I was not upset for in the time I've spent with Kagura-san I've learned more about Kyo-kun and Kagura-san than I ever could've at home for weeks. I unlocked the front door and we hauled all of the bags into the house. To my surprise, Kyo-kun was making his way down the staircase. He looked at all of the bags and sighed.

"Women," he said simply.

"KYO-CHAN!! LOOK WHAT I GOT YOU! IT'S MY FIRST PRESENT TO YOU AS YOUR WIFE!" Kagura-san announced.

I smiled. Kyo-kun looked at me and then at Kagura-san's cheerful expression. Kagura-san held up a cat figurine that resembled Kyo-kun's animal form next to another cat figurine of a white female cat. Kagura-san must be a white tiger! How amazing, I thought! Kyo-kun helped us move the grocery into the kitchen while Kagura-san hauled her newest prized possessions into the living room. We gathered into the living room. I made us all tea and was pouring Kyo-kun some when Kagura-san's loud bang onto the newly replaced table.

"OH NO!" Kagura-san screamed suddenly alerting both Kyo-kun and me.

"What are you going crazy about now!?" Kyo-kun yelled at Kagura-san annoyed.

"Is something wrong Kagura-san?" I asked concernedly.

"I forgot about Kyo-chan's laundry!" she panicked.

I chuckled lightly and Kyo-kun rolled his eyes. "It's a machine. It turns off when its does automatically," Kyo-kun explained in annoyance.

Kagura-san turned to me for my confirmation it seemed so I gave her a light nod to assure her that Kyo-kun was right. Relief came to her naturally and she smiled. Kagura-san relaxed and before I had expected her arms were around Kyo-kun again. I smiled amused.

"Tohru-san, what are we going to do now? Are we going to make dinner now?" Kagura-san asked eagerly.

"Yes, I should start on dinner right away!" I announced and invited Kagura-san to join me.

Kyo-kun rose from the ground and headed for the front doors.

"Kyo-kun?" I mumbled as he disappeared behind the wall.

"Let's cook Tohru-san!" Kagura-san encouraged as she pulled me into the kitchen with her.

Kagura-san worked on the soup for the dinner as I stir-fried some vegetables and chicken. I glance over at the uncooked fish that was lying on a white plate.

"I have to get to the fish soon," I mumbled a loud.

Kagura-san's stirring halted as she slid her way pass me to the fish. "I'll do it! If it's for Kyo-chan I want to do it. Do you mind Tohru-san?" she asked nicely.

"No. Of course not," I answered thrilled to find Kagura-san so passionate about cooking.

Dinner was half done when we heard a loud scream from Kyo-kun nearby. We ran into the hallway to find a sea of white bubbles flooding the hallway. This see of bubbles came from the laundry room where Kyo-kun's voice came from.

"Kyo-kun!" I called. "Are you alright?"

Kagura-san and I watched nervously and helplessly as Kyo-kun's body dug out of the bubbles.

"What happened?" Kagura-san asked confused.

"YOU TELL ME!" Kyo-kun yelled as he held up his black t-shirt that was drenched in soap water.

Kagura-san's eyes were watery. She stormed into the bubbles as she called to us, "I'll fix it don't worry Kyo-chan."

In a few seconds, the sea of bubbles grew and invaded even more of the hallway.

"Kagura-san!" I called worried about her safety now.

At this moment Yuki-kun's voice alert the three of us. He was setting his bag down when he noticed the hallway engrossed by the soap bubbles.

"What is going on Honda-san?" he looked to me for an explanation.

"Ah…I…Kagura-san…laundry," I didn't know what to say.

"It's not her fault, Kagura tried to do laundry and it ended up like this," Kyo-kun defended me.

"I never said I thought it was Honda-san's fault," Yuki-kun defended himself. "Where is she?"

"She's in the laundry room! Yuki-kun…Kyo-kun, what should we do?" I panicked.

"She made this mess. she'll get herself out of it. I don't care about her," Kyo-kun declared coldly.

Almost instantly, Kagura-san's body flew from the sea of bubbles and onto Kyo-kun's. She mounted Kyo-kun to the ground and started attacking him.

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?! I LOVED YOU! I WASHED YOUR CLOTHES!" she roared angrily as she consistently threw punch after punch.

Yuki-kun sighed. "Kagura, stop," he told her.

She ignored him. Yuki-kun gave up and looked over at the bubbles. "Honda-san, let's clean this up before Shigure gets back."

I nodded obediently. "Yes, of course! I'll go get the mop and some buckets!" I informed him and ran off into the kitchen.

I returned to find Kyo-kun and Kagura-san fighting outside in the garden. Yuki-kun was waiting for me. We were clearing the bubbles when a loud crash sounded the house. We ran outside to find a collapsed concrete wall, Kyo-kun, a stranger on the ground, and Shii-chan's car pulling up to the house. There was a thick cloud of dust and brown smoke that surrounded the scene. The stranger was lying on the ground near a brown bike. He must have been riding by when the collapsing wall hit him. The smoke cleared and I began to examine the scene again. I expected to find Kyo-kun and Kagura-san, but to my surprise I only found Kagura-san's clothes.

"Oh no!" I thought. I recognized what had happened instantly. I looked around for a white tiger, but there was none to be found. Once the smoke completely disappeared, I found the man on the ground stunned by the animal on top of him. He had a little brown boar on his chest. He held onto the boar who was struggling to get away.

"Kagura-san?" I mumbled in disbelief.

Shii-chan saw the whole scene and immediately came to our rescue.

"Kagura-san?" the man repeated looking at the animal on his lap.

"Yes, that's our pet Kagura-san!" Shii-chan interrupted. He hastily grabbed Kagura-san off of the man's lap and handed it to me.

I looked at the sad animal for a second. Shii-chan spoke to the man for a little moment before he got up and left on his bike. Shii-chan escorted us all back into the house where he found the half cleaned sea of bubbles.

"What happened my lovely Tohru-chan?" Shii-chan asked in astonishment.

"Um… well…" I mumbled.

POOF! Kagura-san, who had clung onto Kyo-kun's shoulder on our way into the house has suddenly transformed back into her human form. Kagura-san hung from Kyo-kun's right shoulder naked.

"PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!!" Kyo-kun jerked.

"DON'T BE SO MEAN TO ME KYO!!" Kagura-san yelled.

She broke out into a brutal punching session again.

Kagura-san's ability to see all of the good qualities in others is admirable. She has a unique way of showing her affection, but I think that's what makes her different. I never would have guessed that Kyo-kun would be engaged. I'm so happy to have met Kagura-san today even though it was a long and chaotic day. I wonder what other juunishis I will meet one day. I want to meet them all and when I do, I want to invite them all to the wedding. I know it will be great! Everyone will have so much fun and Akito-san…maybe he'll be happier too. He always seemed so lonely, so I wonder if he'll like the idea. Maybe just maybe.

* * *

AN: Hey everyone! I know...shaky badly written chapter, but I wrote this chapter before I decided to rewatch some of the Fruits Basket episodes and I didn't want to start the chapter over and have you wait another million years. I apologize if you're disappoint, but I promise the next chapter will be up soon and it will be great! Please review this chapter even if you thought it sucked. In fact, let me know if you thought so so I can be motivated to do better next time. Thank you for reading!! Until next time!


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